Faith
by Sharn Mao
Summary: Added to Chapter 55... Faith has made it back to Wonderland, and must now deal with more friends that have gone over to the Queen's side.
1. Chapter 1

It was night. Such a dark night. Cold rain, thunder... lightning. Ordinarily such things did not bother him; and if they did, he could easily laugh his fear away because he always knew the night would end soon. But tonight this awful feeling overcame any semblance of normalcy that there might have been, even there. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Nighttime had stars, a moon... a sense of comfort. Tonight they were all gone and a feeling of foreboding hung over the land, enveloping the inhabitants in darkness.  
  
The Cheshire Cat gazed at what he could see of Wonderland that night, almost as though he were trying to discern the source of this feeling of entrapment. Of wrongness.  
Several minutes went by, but he did not move. As far as he could see, there was nothing in any direction. Except...  
  
One ear cocked, hearing noises. Doom, Doom, Doom. Thousands of marching feet. Doom, Doom, Doom. Drums of war drumming. Doom, Doom, Doom. It was headed toward the New Village. DoomdoomdoomdoomDOOMDOOMDOOM. The noise grew more rapid; louder, almost deafening. He bounded through a copse of trees, beyond a cluster of giant mushrooms, past the pool of tears, until he found a small glen, where he could see the source. There he watched the vast army in silence. Four lines of soldiers, steadily marching, never stopping never tiring. In the middle of the army trotted two huge black horses. Upon them sat the King and Queen.  
  
He gasped in terror, and immediately rushed away. Cutting through a short network of caves, he ran to the village, arriving only a few minutes before the army. He hurtled down the main street, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Attack!! Everyone! Get up!! Get your arses out of bed, we are under ATTACK!!!"  
  
He turned a corner, skidded and ducked, narrowly missing a beheading by one of the Queen's guards wielding a wicked-looking, heart-shaped spear. The soldiers began closing in around him, but he leapt high, high over their heads, dodging soldiers, and frantically wondering how they had arrived so soon.  
  
The soldiers swarmed thick around him and the villagers, looking almost like hungry insects, wearing their lust for bloodshed and carnage plainly on their faces. They swung at him, and tried to catch him, but with no luck. He knew what awaited him at their hands, and he would not let them catch him!  
  
He had almost made it to freedom when the Queen reached out and grabbed him by the tail. He hissed and shouted at her and scratched her face. This time it was her turn to scream and she hurled him into the heart of an ugly battle. It was only after many dodges, bruises, and scrapes that he made it to safety.  
  
He perched up on a wall, out of sight of the guards and the Queen. He watched them set fire to people's homes, homes that burned down... so quickly. The Red Queen was giving orders, shouting and waving her staff. The Red King was charging hard, knocking over villagers and burning more homes. Cat watched the fires blazing, blazing out of control, no matter what the villagers did. The red and yellow flames rose higher and higher, their smoke creating heavy dark clouds that hung low over their charred ruins. The army was mercilessly killing the innocents and the fighters alike.  
  
They had been so unprepared, so unready. The attacks weren't supposed to have come yet. He laughed caustically to himself. But then, the Queen had never been terribly fond of giving warning before a massacre, had she? But why now? How did the Queen find out of their plans? Was there anything that any of them could have done to prevent this? And, even if they could have done something to stop it, wouldn't it have just come again later on, undoubtedly with even more force than this?  
  
He stared at the village, or at least what was left of it. The entire right half was destroyed, and the card guards were headed underground, swarming around the entrance to the mines like insects. Bodies were strewn around, like dolls in a child's room before cleaning time.  
  
The villagers had put up a brave fight, but it was not enough to withstand the brutal onslaught of the Red Queen and her King. That was what had been wrong, he realised with a sinking feeling in his heart. Everything had felt wrong because history was repeating itself, because IT was happening. No... it _had_ happened. Within hours, Wonderland had fallen again.

Faith Maras and her twin brother, Jeremy, were incredibly bored. It was raining outside and their mother, fearing for their health, didn't let them outside. It was a shame though, because it wasn't that terrible rain that came with storms, it was a light, sparkling drizzle that usually accompanied the early morning mists.  
  
It had been storming incessantly that year, and in order to raise spirits, their parents decided to throw a dinner party. They were famous for their dinner parties, and nobody who was anybody in London society wanted to miss them. On this occasion, they invited only their closest friends, for a smaller, more intimate setting and all of those friends came. Faith Maras and her family were respected throughout London society, and they lived in one of the largest manors in all of London. They were incredibly tight-knit and it was evident to all of their guests that the whole family loved one another very much.  
  
Somewhat less respectable was the family history. It had all been good until Alice Liddell turned seven years old. She had then gone quite mad, going on and on about some place called 'Wonderland' and all types of strange... unnatural inhabitants. She appeared to have cooled off slightly five months later, but at the end of six months, she suddenly started talking about a journey she had taken through a looking-glass. When she was ten, her family was killed in a fire and she was in a mental asylum for seven years. Then her doctor, a wonderfully smart man named Doctor Elliott, had put her through extensive hypnosis of some sort and pronounced her cured. She had re-emerged, and married, but for some reason, she was no longer truly Alice. It was said in whispers around the neighbourhood by those who knew her that she died an empty, unfulfilled shell of a human being.  
  
Since then, every youngest girl in the family, at seven years of age, started rambling about Wonderland, but always, at seventeen, they stopped somehow, each saying in a strange voice that it was just "gone." None of them were quite the same after they lost Wonderland. The whole family had watched Faith worriedly, as she was the only girl in the family, but she had turned out a well-rounded, sane, and healthy young girl, if not a little introverted.  
  
Jeremy thought otherwise. When she told him stories, she described a land so fantastic, where dodos and lobsters ran in a ring around a rock and the Cheshire Cat grinned and spoke in form of riddles, he was positive that she had been there, only she was too smart to show it.

The two Maras twins were inseparable, and they always had been. It was rather funny that they never looked nor acted anything alike. Jeremy was tanned with sandy blond hair to his shoulders and light blue eyes. They had a mischievous look about them... but never failed to look innocent enough to get him out of trouble. Everyone in the family said that he would be very tall when he grew up, as his long feet were rather out of proportion with the rest of his body. He had an outgoing and laid-back personality and laughed about everything. Especially his pranks.  
  
Faith, on the other hand, was light-skinned and small, with long black-brown hair that she wore down to her waist, and large dark blue eyes that were almost black. She was serious and introverted, though she often had more than a small part in Jeremy's pranks.

Dinner was over, and the adults were taking a tour of the newly remodelled manor and talking either about politics or how a certain room had been changed - nothing that interested the two whatsoever. So they remained in the family room, their favourite, and the one room in the house that was completely unchanged.

It was a huge room, painted in beiges, and the trim was done in some type of naturally red wood. The carpeting was also deeply red, only darker than the trimmings. Pigeon's Blood Ruby, her parents had called it. There were two sets of double doors, one on the wall opposite the fireplace (in which a cheerful fire was presently roaring), which led to the hall, and one on the wall to the left, which led to the dining room. They were large, ornate, heavy, and made of ebony.

"What d'you want to do?" Jeremy asked.  
  
"I dunno. Tell stories?" She suggested.  
  
"A dangerous venture, to be sure," he laughed. Both were great storytellers. They told a few stories apiece, and eventually she suggested a game of jacks. Jeremy frowned, but his eyes were smiling. "You always beat me," he protested lamely, even as he walked over to the cupboard where the jacks were located.

"I get more practice, and you're still learning," she grinned. He returned, jacks in one hand, ball in the other and they started. Neither noticed a raccoon creeping in, having smelled the leftover food and dessert. After the two had finished threes, Faith got up and told Jeremy that she was getting food.

"Hungry again?" he teased. "We just finished dinner an hour ago."  
  
"You know me," she laughed. She entered the kitchen.

Upon doing so, she startled the raccoon, which fell from its narrow cupboard to the stove, with the furriest part of its tail landing on an open burner. She had forgotten to turn it off after helping Mum with the cooking. It screeched in pain and bolted into the hall, tail aflame. It tried clawing its way up the drapes, but couldn't. The fire from its tail caught the drapes and they began burning. It fell off, the fur on its back caught. It landed on the carpet and didn't move again.

The carpet caught fire, and it spread rapidly up the painted walls, the drapes and furniture. Faith was terrified; she couldn't think, she didn't know what to do, and she was paralysed. When she felt the fire coming too close, she burst into the family room. She grabbed Jeremy, who stood glued to his spot, staring at the fire that crept quickly into the room, and ran with him to the fireplace. Hidden behind it was a huge stone chamber, that only she knew about - she had only just finished exploring it. A beam crashed down from the ceiling, separating the two. Faith felt herself lurching out of the way somehow, but Jeremy was thrown back several feet, and Faith ran back for him, grabbing his hand. Together they ran into the room.  
  
Forgetting that he had never been in there, she shouted at him to get outside and gestured on the wall to the left. There were three doors. She pulled open another door, shouting that she was going to find the others and for him to go outside. He shouted something at her, but she couldn't hear him.  
  
She ran up the twisted passage. Left, right, right, left. She ran up the maze of corridors with ease, navigating through the complicated twists and turns, hurrying, listening... she couldn't hear anything above the crackling flames. She forced the passageway door open and saw her parents and friends, burning and screaming in pain, yelling for the children to get out. "The children! The children!!!" her mother screamed, and collapsed. Faith froze for a moment, horrified, but came to her senses and ran away, slamming the door closed.

The door-chamber was filled with thick black smoke. She ran through, holding her breath. Stumbled over something and fell. Gasping... she thought her lungs would burst. Another beam crashed down and she fell out of the way just as it fell. She got up, found a violet engraved on a door. That wasn't what she was looking for. She had to breathe... she couldn't even draw breath when she found the doorway with a rose. She grabbed the doorknob and a strange carving in the hot metal burned her hand. The pain was intense and she screamed through her tears.  
  
Faith couldn't do anything but push the door open with all her might. In the passageway, it was noticeably cooler. She gasped for breath and started running towards the exit. She prayed that Jeremy had escaped.

Daniel Wallace, a fireman called to the scene, was supervising the hoses. There had been no sign of life outside or inside so far. The beautiful manor's fire was a raging inferno, no matter what they did. Behind him someone yelled for more hoses and for fire suits. The reply came that they were using every hose they had already. He surveyed the house and totally despaired of finding anyone alive.

After a moment, a movement caught his eye. It looked as though one of the few places in the whole manor that was not burning... was moving. He ordered his men back, fearing a collapse. But it wasn't. Something staggered out, coughing. Daniel hurried over and found it to be a young girl of about nine or ten, wearing a purple dress with a big blue sweater over it, and quickly wrapped his coat around her.  
  
She looked up at him, and said in a hoarse voice, "Jeremy. Please. Where's Jeremy?" Daniel then realised that she was one of the Maras twins, and Jeremy was the brother. He looked down at her, and she saw it in his eyes: Jeremy had not escaped. "We didn't finish the game," she whispered, past dazed. She started to cry softly and collapsed.

Wonderland had been in the Red Queen's domination for six and a half years, and it was already looking like she had ruled it for a hundred. Parts that had once been lush and green were now barren and almost uninhabitable, and where all things evil thrived. Mad children frolicked around, oblivious to the carnage. Oblivious to their surroundings and everyone else around them. They had been Wonderland's hope while Faith was in shock. But Wonderland's inhabitants should have known that it was impossible for them to stand up to her.

Most of the residents had resigned themselves to their fates. Most of them didn't believe that it was possible for them to be saved. Alice was long dead, and the children were beyond hope. Very few believed that they had any chances of destroying the Queen. Or of surviving, for that matter.

Gryphon had been looking for several months for help and information that would get them an ace in their hand. He sent word to Caterpillar through various sources, and not all of the news was good. In one of his later reports he was clearly extremely alarmed, though the actual reason was never mentioned. He instructed Caterpillar to call a council as soon as he returned, for he would be back soon.

Caterpillar knew most all that went on in Wonderland, and he was one of those who hoped for someone to come and save them. The White Rabbit believed that someone would come. But the one who believed most, believed more than anyone, was the Cheshire Cat. He knew Alice and her progeny, and he knew that, if he could convince the White Rabbit to get her, the girl would come. Wouldn't she?


	2. Chapter 2

In Rutledge Asylum, Dr. James Halden, an American psychiatrist, stepped out of the bright sun and into the dark, old main building. He had come to meet a patient they were reportedly having trouble with. She wasn't responding to them, as she had not done for almost seven years, since she became an inmate.

He walked down the hall, and came to the front desk, with a large, frosted amber window barring any view of inside. Seeing no one, he started walking to the row of cells. "Credentials," came a voice from behind him, at the desk. He jumped.  
  
"I'm Doctor James Halden," he said, startled. He couldn't see any movement behind the glass.  
  
"Credentials," the voice repeated flatly. It was a woman's voice, mid to upper forties, he guessed. Not a pleasant voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm not quite sure where..."  
  
"You're American? Put your medical licence, some form of identification, and your visa through the slot," she said. Reluctantly, he took out the three items she asked for and slid them through a small slot about halfway up the glass. Finally he saw movement from behind the glass, and caught a glance at a well-manicured hand taking them. The now-noticeable figure peered at them closely, and slid them back through without waiting for him to get his hands up. His licence fell to the floor. As he bent down to pick it up, he felt his dislike for the woman grow with each passing moment. Calmly she told him that he could go on to Dr. Reynald's office. He thanked her curtly and stalked off down the hall.  
  
Dr. Reynald's office was immaculate. White walls, light grey carpeting and black furniture were the only colours. The bookcase held many thick leather-bound books on everything from anatomy to patient records to criminal psychology. Several diplomas hung on the walls, from high-degree universities such as Oxford, and, less recently, from Harvard back in America. The guest chairs were simple, with padded seats and backs. The desk occupied the centre of the room. Both it and the chair behind it were large, ornate, and old fashioned.

A man sat at this desk. He was tall and thin and as imposing as Rutledge itself, with narrow cheekbones and iron-grey hair that was cut closely around his head. His eyes were ice blue and cold. He didn't look old, though his medical records said that he was fifty-six. Rather, he looked to be only in his forties. Dr. Halden was surprised. He had thought of him to be a kindly old Englishman, not the type of person who could have frozen his blood with one glance. When he spoke, his voice was about as cold as his appearance, though not as deep as Dr. Halden expected it to be.  
  
"Enter," he said. Dr. Halden walked in. "Good afternoon, Doctor. I am pleased to meet you."  
  
Halden noticed he rather smirked at his salutations. "Good afternoon. You are here to see Faith Maras, are you not?"  
  
"Yes I am. I was wondering if I could perhaps see her records first, though." Dr. Reynald nodded and gestured to the bookcase. "You will find her in the L-M notebook. Mind you don't tear anything. Those documents go as far back as the early-mid 1800s, when they began storing the records and recopying them."

Carefully, Dr. Halden flipped through. Laughlin, Laurence, LaWare... Liarea, Liberman, Liddell... and so on. He finally found Maras, Faith and began reading. Her chart was something like this:  
  
Name: Maras, Faith............... Birth-date: 10/31/1984  
Admitted: 11/2/1994  
Medical History: broken arm at age three  
[Great Great Grandmother, Alice Liddell, was admitted in mid to late 1800s (precise date unknown).]  
Circumstances of Admission: Fire at home (10/30/1994). Only survivor. Admitted after stay in St. George's Hospital for smoke inhalation. Supposedly tried to save brother but failed. Fire fighters found brother's body in hidden stone cavern. She has not recovered and is a danger to herself and others.  
Past suicide attempts: 1 failed, year 1997  
Response to medication: none  
  
Behavioural Record:  
Dr. Hamilton- 9:24 AM, 1999- Was awakened at approx. 4:30 AM by one of the patients (Faith) having some sort of fit, in which she continually screamed for up to an hour, depriving us of a good night's sleep! Nothing would stop that infernal screaming, and of course the other inmates picked up on it, too, so I personally went to check up on her. As I neared her cell, her words became more intelligible- she was screaming for something to leave her alone, but when I looked into her cell there was nobody there but her. She was curled into a foetal position in the centre of the room, back to the door. I entered and her head shot up, at almost an unnatural angle, but the receptionist had warned me of her flexibility. I asked her what was wrong, but she would not speak to me, other than to say a sullen, "Nothing." I asked if she was certain and she flew into a rage and scratched my face with her nails, making it bleed. I have just ordered her nails to be kept short, and cannot wait until Dr. Reynald gets back from his seminar.

Dr. Jacobson- 11-2-1997- This has been a most interesting day. I was in the office, going through the current files when the nurse Emelia came in, screaming that Faith Maras had tried to kill her. I asked her how and she replied that Faith had tackled her and held her to the floor with her arm, by the throat and pushed into her diaphragm. Some bruising on Miss Emelia's throat and... front, confirm this allegation. I went to Faith's cell and was very stern with her, and deservedly so. I have been informed that she has never been reprimanded for her foul treatment of the staff. She slapped me, and I threatened to take away several items in her cell. The look she gave me was damn frightening, and I left the room. Later, the nurse Hilda yelled for my assistance while I was reading the post. I rushed over and found that it was Faith, again, that was giving the trouble. Apparently Hilda was accustomed to the practise of medicating Faith's food with sedatives directly in front of her. Faith stole the bottle and Hilda was now trying to keep it away from her mouth. I grabbed for it, lost my footing and fell atop her. The shock of my weight must have made her release the bottle, because before I knew, we were both chasing it underneath the bed. I reached it first, but she grabbed a letter-opener that I had mistakenly left in my pocket and plunged it into her wrist. I had her wrists bandaged and all sharp or dangerous items in her room were removed. God, I hope Doctor Reynald gets back soon.  
  
Response to Dr. Reynald: none; Dr. Hamilton: none; Dr. Farush: none; Dr. Davidson: none.  
  
Comments: 9/8/98: Faith is incredibly clever- she leads me on, making me think that I am making headway. She told me about her family, her friends, a little about the drawings on the walls, and then all of a sudden, when I thought that she had warmed up to me, she hit me back, hard, quite putting me off of my high horse. About six months into therapy, she grew listless, bored even, and started talking to no one in particular. Then she turned to me and said, quite calmly, "You can leave now." This is very discouraging. If a doctor of Reynald's esteem hasn't gotten anything done, then I foresee nothing but the walls of this asylum for her.  
Dr. Alan Davidson  
  
And so on. There had obviously been many doctors, he realised. So why should he stand a chance? And he did not like the sound of that... when you think that she's warmed up to you, she hits you back, hard. He sighed and thought about how he could help - he doubted Reynald thought about things like helping. After a moment, he skimmed through the article again, and remembered seeing something about Liddell back in the book. Yes, there it was, right after Liberman. He flipped through to it, aware of Dr. Reynald's smirk, and somehow managed to ignore him.  
  
Name: Liddell, Alice (No Middle Name)........... Birth-date: N/A  
Admitted: N/A, Age 8  
Medical History: none  
Circumstances of Admission: At age 7, talked about fictional place of 'Wonderland' and short while after, talking about going through a looking-glass. Fire at home. All but she were killed. Has not recovered and is a danger to herself.  
Past suicide attempts: 1; failed, year 18-  
Response to Medication: none  
Has not responded to any doctors.  
Release Date: 11/18/18-  
Age upon release: 17 years  
Comments: Sixth of June, year eighteen --. I simply do not know what to do with her. She has not responded at all, and when she does, it is complete and utter nonsense. Tea parties that never end, a Cheshire cat... croquet with the Queen of Hearts! Once she burst into song, startling me to no small degree. I do not know what to make of her. Only time will tell at this point whether or not she will be released.  
  
Eighth of November, year eighteen --. I went to her room today to check up on her, but it turns out that the hypnosis that I placed on her Wednesday has completely worn off. Stronger methods may be in necessary. Wait, I hear noises. I shall continue in a moment, after I have checked on it.  
Damn that girl! She has just attacked one of the nurses! Marie was apparently trying to get that shabby stuffed rabbit away from her, and before the girl could blink, Alice was upon her. How can she reject the hypnosis like this??? I have ordered Alice put in a straitjacket, though I doubt that it will do much good. She doesn't respond to that sort of thing. Doctor Elliot  
  
And that was all; the other dates were missing. Halden's brow furrowed. Has not responded to any doctors, yet she was released suddenly... after ten years of being committed. That made no sense. Now, as for Faith... she was in a strangely different, yet almost eerily similar, situation. She had been there for seven years, committed at age ten. Alice nine through ten, after being committed at seven or eight. Both had two parents and one sibling. Both families were killed in a fire, in the same manor. Now they were both committed to the same asylum.  
  
"How old would Faith be, now? Seventeen?"  
  
"Yes, or thereabouts. She was in shock when she answered my questions." The voice was cool, mocking.

"Please take me to her now," Halden said, wondering about these parallels that Dr. Reynald had clearly missed, and also wondering if there was a good reason that Faith had not responded to his treatments. He began to see why hardly anyone left the asylum: the staff was more interested in tormenting the inmates than in curing them.  
  
Dr. Reynald gestured calmly, and Halden followed him down the line of cells. There were the usual cases, simple mental disorders that could be treated. One of them had a doctor in there, calming a patient. Halden followed the other doctor into a long hall with a heading on the door: 'Criminally Insane'.  
  
"You're keeping her here?" he asked, disgusted.

"Of course not," Reynald said, smirking. "Only problem is that the stairs are on this end of the building. See?" he gestured casually, evidently to show his superior knowledge of the layout of the asylum. Halden contemplated hitting him. Strange, he had been taught not to hate, but already he hated the doctor's condescending superiority that he exerted over the whole asylum. All the same, he followed him, doing his best to keep civil, up the long, black-marble spiral staircase. He stared at it, amazed at the opulence this place had. A story up, he noticed a crystal chandelier and scoffed. Half of this money could have gone to the patients.  
  
He quieted his anger, realising that he was lagging behind, and hurried to catch up. Meanwhile, in the farthest cell, a patient sat, waiting.  
  
She hated her cell. She hated the doctors, and the nurses. But she mostly hated herself. The turmoil that raged within her fragile mind was getting unbearable. She had to find some way to relieve it. But how?  
  
"It's your fault. You weren't fast enough. You didn't listen. You tripped. Idiot," she said. It wasn't the first or the last time that she had mercilessly disparaged herself like this. "If you had showed the cave to him when you found it he'd still be alive, he wouldn't have died. You couldn't even take the time to point him down the right tunnel. You had to go into hysterics. Get all heroic and try to save the other corpses. You idiot! You let Jeremy die, and for nothing! NOTHING!!" she screamed the last word, startling an old crow that was perched on her high window. It squawked disapprovingly at her, and settled.  
  
Suddenly, it glanced warily at the door, as it always did when she was getting company, more specifically, doctor's company. She looked up, her dark hair partially hiding her face, a feral look in her eyes. She grimaced as the light from the opening door hit her eyes, which were generally adjusted to the dark.

Dr. Halden stepped in, looking concerned. He'd apparently heard the shriek. She had never met the man, but she recognized him from news clippings that Dr. Reynald carelessly dropped every now and then. Halden was fairly well known for his advances in psychological meds, and was widely respected for his kind treatment of patients, no matter what was wrong. Still, she did not trust him. He was probably just another smug, superior doctor who paid people to say they had been ill and he had been the best thing that had happened to them. That was what all of the other doctors had been.  
  
Meanwhile, the objects of her dislike studied her. When she had arrived at Rutledge's, she had been 55cm (4'7) when she had arrived, and fairly healthy looking. Things were different now. She had grown only four inches since then, having (quite unintentionally) quit growing at fourteen. The constantly dim light had permanently darkened all brown out of her hair, leaving it thoroughly black. It had been hacked off fairly unevenly some time ago, and now reached about halfway down her shoulder blades. Her skin was dead white, with circles under her eyes that stood out painfully. Her eyes were large and staring, and he had heard from one of the nurses that she had not slept since arriving. Halden watched for any signs of her changing her demeanour. Reynald watched for signs that she was going to bite him again.  
  
It had been another useless session, and Reynald had been getting frustrated, and had snapped out about something... either Jeremy or "those voices," she couldn't remember which. But something inside her head snapped, and she had attacked him. He'd got away, she thought ruefully, but she had bitten his forearm hard enough that it had bled. She felt his eyes on her, and gave him a smug glance, particularly in the direction of his arm. Then she faced the window again, leaving him to glare at her back. Halden watched the exchange and shrugged, not really knowing the circumstances behind it. Then, he stepped forward, ushering the doctor out of the room. Whatever he did, he knew that it would be at least a little better if Reynald wasn't there.

He studied her for a moment, noting the jaded, hopeless slump of her back, and felt a small surge of pity, followed by suspicion, remembering the other doctors.

"You're Faith Maras?" he asked. She nodded, still not watching him. She was sitting - no - she was perched on the bed. There was almost nothing in the room, save some drawings on the walls and an old stuffed rabbit. He studied it for a moment.

Faith watched his reflection in the glass, saw him study the rabbit. "It was my brother's." He started, hearing her speak.

"It was one of his only things they were able to save... They saved a ring that belonged to him as well; don't ask me how. I think he was wearing it. I gave it to him as a birthday present," then, feeling that she had said too much, went silent again.

"Go on," Halden urged gently. She snuck a glance at him, uncomfortable. A line from Ethan Frome popped into his head suddenly. "He looks as if he was dead and in hell now!"

Her eyes were haunted, almost dead. Nevertheless, she continued in her quiet voice,  
  
"Jeremy always loved knick-knacks, punky jewellery, things like that. So I was shopping for him, and I found his ring. It's a cobra that wraps around a finger about three times - reaches up to the first knuckle. It's silver, but it's got a greenish tint, and emerald eyes. He wore it most every day. He got me a pendant to match the next year. The firemen were able to rescue that, too - he borrowed it that night. I was wearing my other favourite necklace... a shark's tooth, the one I'm wearing now. The drawings on the walls..." here she gestured lamely to them "are Jeremy's and mine," she said, regarding them sadly.  
  
"I lost my brother at a young age too, when I was about fourteen. He was a year older than I was, and I loved him deeply. After he was gone, I was angry, sad, frightened... pretty much everything ran through my mind, not just that I was going to miss him, but mostly that I felt that I had caused it," Halden admitted. "My parents were also angry. They were worried about me."  
  
"Your parents weren't killed that same day," she pointed out.  
"Much less the same hour," he agreed.  
"I lost _everything_ that night. My parents, my home, family, friends, my brother, everything's gone. Last I heard - when I was _ten_ - my best friend June was in an orphanage, waiting for her grandmother to come and get her because she was sick the night of the fire and wasn't there. Her grandmother is in Montreal, Canada, so I'll never see her again," she said coldly. Then, bitterly, "even if I ever get out of here."  
  
"I'm sorry," Halden said quietly. Somehow... somehow, she didn't strike him as being terribly insane. And that left him at a loss for words.  
  
"Can we talk about other things?" Faith asked wearily. She found a small rip in her sheet and absently started picking at it. He noticed jagged scars running across her wrists and torn nails.  
  
"Your great, great, grandmother was here," he said, after a moment of tense silence.

"She was? Alice?" Faith asked, immediately interested. She'd known already, but she was interested enough, and humouring his efforts at conversation couldn't hurt anything.  
  
"Yes. I have the file here," he said, and produced the file he had lifted from Reynald's office. Faith eyed it, slightly suspicious.

"He never lets any files out of his office," she said. "I know," he shrugged. "My wife would be torn between laughing and killing me if she knew."  
  
"Wife?" she asked curiously. "I didn't think that psychopathologists got married."

Halden laughed. "We only just got married a few months ago," he told her. "I'm also a psychologist, not a psychopathologist." He noticed that she hardly changed expressions, even when he had mentioned Alice. At least her eyes hadn't changed much.


	3. Chapter 3

In the blackest part of night, several figures crept towards Caterpillar's Plot.

The Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Gryphon, the Mad Hatter, Caterpillar, Mock Turtle, and several other rebels were already there, and all were holding a council. It was oddly subdued, especially for in Wonderland, although some of the oddities of the residents naturally showed through. Rabbit would yell, "We're late! We're all too late!" at several impromptu times, and got quite fidgety and snappish afterwards, especially if anyone asked what he meant. The Cheshire Cat, wearing his eternal grin, spoke in riddles and nonsense several times. Caterpillar kept calm, but only through his hookah. Hatter fiddled around with the gears of a watch. Gryphon paced silently in the background. At the moment, they were all talking like mad. Which they were.

"Order! Order!! ORDER!!!" Gryphon shouted. Everyone settled down, worried, tense. He stalked to the centre of the room, looking both pensive and annoyed. "I have been working hard, gathering information. I have almost lost my life several times. So for all my difficulties, hear what I have to say!"

"I'm late! No time..."  
  
"TIME!?" Hatter started. He scrutinized his watch. "It's not teatime," he said gloomily.

"We don't have time for tea," Gryphon snapped. Hatter sighed, downcast. "Now, as I was saying before I was so kindly interrupted," at this he gave Rabbit an icy look. Rabbit gulped and tried to make himself shrink into his chair. "I ask you to listen to what I have to say. The thing we dread most has happened. A traitor has been discovered."

"Impossible!" was only one of the phrases uttered.

Gryphon held up a claw for silence, and got it. "As I said, I have looked Death in the face numerous times, and have discovered that an enemy lies among us. It can be one of only two of us... but I cannot say who they are now. There are too many of us here."  
  
There was panic. If there was an enemy among them... no wonder everything they had planned had gone wrong. Their first attempt at breaking free; they had lost four important rebels. The second, six. The third was only three, but that was still too much.

"Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. Mary lost her little lamb, yet the Queen she still did overthrow," said the Cheshire Cat. He received several odd looks, but Gryphon looked up.

"He is right, somehow. Mary lost her lamb, her friend, but even without it, she overthrew the Queen," he said, looking over at Cat, who grinned wider than ever.

"Aah, someone solved the little riddle behind the rhyme," he purred. "Though we will have to do without that lamb until the butcher comes to town."

This time, even Gryphon gave the Cheshire Cat an odd look. "Yet another riddle of yours to solve. I will worry about it later. But as I said before, I have found a traitor in our midst. I do not know who it is. What do you think, Caterpillar?"  
  
"I think that it is someone we trust greatly."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If it was not, our plans would not have been foiled, for not everyone in this group knows all of the vast intricacies to them but those who we trust."

Gryphon frowned. It was true, he realised. He turned to the next creature. "What do you think, Hatter?"

"I think," Hatter said slowly. "That it is time for tea."  
  
With that, the lights went out. "Everyone stay calm!" Gryphon shouted midst the pandemonium. He then roared. A gryphon's roar is a terrible thing to hear, even under the best of circumstances. It is something between a lion's roar and an eagle's screech. Now, in the complete blackness, mixed in with the present circumstances, it was almost unbearable, and the noise stopped instantly. When the lights then came back on, Hatter was gone. But so was Gryphon.  
  
The Cheshire Cat had searched and searched the surrounding areas, but he found nothing. Gryphon was nowhere to be found; nor was Hatter. He came up to Caterpillar. "Have you discovered anything?" Cat asked.  
  
"Gryphon was innocent," Caterpillar said simply, "but Hatter was a traitor."  
  
"Then teatime must have been some kind of an attack signal for whatever his plan was."  
  
Caterpillar nodded grimly. The Cheshire Cat shook his head disgustedly.  
  
"Where is Rabbit?"  
  
"He is undoubtedly still looking, like many of the others."  
  
"I suppose they hope to find something," Cat said, and turned away.  
  
He walked over to a cliff and sat there, waiting for the dawn. Come dawn he would be able to see the inside of the castle, and mayhap look more closely at the strange protrusions that had been sprouting out of the roof lately; they seemed to be sprouting out at that moment as well. But when the drapes were drawn, perhaps he could see what Hatter was up to there.  
  
While dawn was not long in coming, to the terrified rebels it took forever. Yet the Cheshire Cat still sat quietly on the edge of the cliff. Finally he saw the curtains move, and when he was able to see what was drawing them, he fell off of his perch and tumbled down.  
  
However, he was up again in only a few moments, still staring at the windows. Had his eyes been playing tricks? No - machines were drawing the curtains!  
  
Looking closer, he also saw that the castle was unrecognisable from the night before. Not only were there those strange protrusions (that now looked like wicked spires and twisted towers), but there were also multitudes of skulls, and Cat had a nagging suspicion as to whom they belonged to.  
  
Moments later, he saw Hatter walking along a hallway, with a strange, pale figure beside him.  
  
So the Cheshire Cat became a spy against his old friend, trying to find where Gryphon was, what Hatter was up to, and who that figure he had seen that morning was. He slipped into the Mad Hatter's castle periodically, reporting what little he was able to find. After several months he grew worried that everything was too well hidden, but still, he stubbornly kept to his task and told no one of his difficulties. Finally, he made some significant progress: he found the tearoom. He slid through a crack in the door, fully expecting to be found and turned in by the March Hare or the Dormouse, who had been conspicuously absent at the meeting. But no one was in there.  
  
The tea was acidic, he realised after smelling it a few times. It'd keep enemies away... perhaps, he thought with a chuckle, picturing a rebel walking in for a casual tea, then himself at present. He continued down the table, and found three that weren't poisoned. Then it struck him that Hatter was in league with - wait, a noise. He dived into an abandoned mouse hole, unsettling the dust that was everywhere, aggravating the sneezes that were just around the corner.  
  
Cat peered into the room through the opening, and what he saw made his fur stand on end. Hatter was there, as he had expected, but there was also a red dress and... tentacles and a red base too, and with that, he knew that his worst nightmare was no longer just a nightmare. He was trapped in the same room with the King and Queen of Hearts and a traitor. He doubted that there would be any peace talks there, especially compromises regarding the rebels. Then she started speaking in a raspy and cold voice that grated the soul.  
  
"Hatter. What is your progress with the rebels?" She asked sharply. Cat didn't want to even try imagining her face as she said this.  
  
"The bloody Gryphon exposed me," he growled, and proceeded to tell most of that night's events. The Queen's eyes narrowed in anger, and Cat recoiled in fear at the anger that plainly emanated from what little of her he could see.  
  
"And..?" She asked dangerously.  
  
"And I have a surprise for you," he replied smoothly. "Come with me."  
  
He led the way through his castle into a long hall that was covered with mirrors, down to the thick red carpet, and Cat followed them, always at the Red King's heels, and always shielded from view by his bulk. Hatter led the way down, and explained to the royals that he would be getting rid of this particular hall when they were through with it, making much harder for intruders or spies to get in. It was rather ironic, Cat thought, that he was telling them this, not only when one of the intruders was there, but also, when that intruder was right underneath his overlong nose.  
  
Cat amused himself by mimicking their walks, from the King's heavy THUMP-THUMP to Hatter's THUMP-scrape-thump of his cane, then his bad leg, then good. He decided to compensate for not mimicking the Queen's levitation by making his feet vanish. That led to a whole new bout of fun, and he amused himself further by making all but his smile or tail vanish. Eventually he went completely invisible, though he didn't walk around freely even then, because it was rumoured that the Queen could see invisible people... that probably included invisible cats, too. So he followed them, always silently, though never too seriously.  
  
Eventually, Hatter brought them to a lab of sorts. There were rows of beds there, all occupied, and two of them contained the Dormouse and the March Hare. Cat's eyes widened and he backtracked to where he had started: behind the beds; and from there he could see them better without being seen. Cat had never; not in his wildest dreams; his wildest nightmares even, seen anything like this. The March Hare was almost half machine by then, and when he tried to speak, the pitch of his voice continually dropped, as though it were a record in a faulty player. The Dormouse was practically inside out and covered in bits of machinery, especially his head and tail. Numerous mechanical arms constantly poked at both of them, ever lifting away skin or tissue and replacing it slowly with strangely shaped bits of metal- probably gears and springs.  
  
In the many other beds were the Mad Children. They all had nametags - no, it was a serial number- pinned at random places, and it didn't matter if that random place was cloth or skin. They all looked ghastly. One had nails poking out of his head, and the littlest one had the top of his head sawn off, exposing the brain. At present, all of them were in a deep sleep; though there wasn't anything remotely restful about it. There were syringes in their arms, and those led to a large vat that stood at the corner of the grimy room. Hatter was explaining about them now.  
  
"These children," he began, "are my experiments. The serum that I've concocted keeps them asleep and quiet until I have use for them."  
  
"What do you use them for?" The King asked suspiciously. He did not approve of anything in his kingdom going on without his knowledge. Hatter grinned evilly.  
  
"For this," he said suavely, drawing back a deep red curtain. Automatons stood there, hundreds of them. Hatter chuckled at the pair's awed expressions. "The automatons will do whatever I want them to. They are completely under my command, unless, of course, I change their mind setting, which I can do quite easily. I'll be happy to sell you some, if that's what you want."  
  
"What about those two? They don't look like Mad Children. What are they used for?" the Queen asked, almost lazily, gesturing to Hatter's former companions.  
  
"Oh, them," Hatter sneered contemptuously. "They were traitors. That meeting, the one that I was exposed at; the two were all for telling them who I am. They tried to sneak out. They were going to double-cross me, and they had seen everything. EVERYTHING! Everything that I have done, everything that I have planned, that I have created, it all would have been RUINED BECAUSE OF THEM!!" And in his fit of rage, he ripped out the Dormouse's lifeline: the syringe that connected to a second vat between the two friends. The machinery stopped poking at him. A small alarm beeped above his head. The Dormouse was dead within seconds.  
  
"I must admit, this was not the surprise that I had in mind for you, though," Hatter continued easily, as though nothing had happened. "The surprise that I have for you is much better."  
  
The four of them walked through a hidden alcove that led down yet another hall. They made short work of it, however, and within minutes were into a large chamber. The floor was weathered and splintery, promising pain to all that laid a bare patch of skin on it. The walls were rough stone and covered with a slimy green mucous that looked and smelled toxic. In the middle of this chamber, Gryphon was there, chained tightly to the floor, helpless. But very much alive, thank goodness.  
  
The Red Queen crowed with delight, and walked forward a few steps. Gryphon snapped at her and she jumped back and spat at his face. She turned to Hatter. "What are you going to do with him?" she asked gleefully.  
  
"More than likely I'll either kill him or do a few experiments," was the flat reply.  
  
"Why not torture him for information?" she pressed. Gryphon growled softly. Ignoring him, the Queen crossed the room and began conferring with Hatter.  
  
The King, meanwhile, was looking around. He felt as though there was another, more unwelcome, presence there. Spying. Yet when he turned around, there was nothing.  
  
Cat was keeping up with every move that the King made, which was easy because he was so bulky and slow. He jumped away and came face-to-face with Gryphon.  
  
"What happened?" Cat whispered to him.  
  
Hatter's voice sounded. "Oh, come in here, my dear. It is much easier to talk." With an irritated (though secret) glance in the King's direction, Hatter and the Queen exited into a small room. The King turned to see the door closing.  
  
"Wait for me!" he yelled, and plodded in as quickly as he could, yelping at the splinters that he was accumulating. He was truly a ridiculous sight to behold.  
  
"When the lights went out, the automatons came out from wherever they were hiding - they grabbed me. I don't know what else there is to say, besides that we were completely unprepared for it."  
  
"Alice knows that we were," Cat hissed at no one in particular. "It was the last thing that we suspected, especially from Hatter, of all people."  
  
"Have you been able to contact her yet?" Gryphon asked suddenly. He was hopeful, and Cat felt very guilty about what he had to say next.  
  
"Yes, several times. That was to be announced at the meeting; thank Alice it wasn't. But anyway, I have contacted her, several times, and she's been unwilling each time. It's ridiculous, how much these humans can refuse," he said wearily.  
  
"Unwilling to save Wonderland?" Gryphon asked incredulously. The hope continued melting away, but quite rapidly now.  
  
"More than just unwilling," Cat sneered. "Afraid."  
  
Gryphon hung his head (as much as he was able) in disgust and hopelessness. "Fill me in on everything that you have seen," he bade Cat.  
  
It was a long story, but Cat told most of what he knew, from his spying, to the first plea to Faith that he'd made to last night's plea.  
  
"How do you know it's her?" he asked Cat, praying that Cat had, for once, made a mistake.  
  
"I've contacted her," Cat said simply. "She's responded. Isn't that enough? And there's a scar."  
  
"How did the house burn so quickly? What about fireproofing and the like?"  
  
"I think that it was the Red Queen's handiwork, or at least part of it. Most of the structure was wood, very old wood at that. But I think that she fed the flames."  
  
"Yes, but... If Faith were killed, then wouldn't Wonderland cease to exist?" asked Gryphon, who was still much younger than Cat.  
  
"No, it would merely pass on to someone else, most likely the brother, had he survived. Whether he would choose to side with the Queen or us would be entirely up to him; we would have no say in it whatsoever," Cat replied flatly. Gryphon sighed.  
  
"If only I could get free... I would make that visit myself. But I doubt it; my time will come, and with it, the answer to your second riddle, Cat," he said, almost sadly. Cat consoled him the best he could.  
  
"Gryphon, although your kind is wise, you cannot see the future," he said gently. "The future will happen in its own time, and for its own sake. Whether you die, or I die, or even Rabbit dies cannot be determined just yet. Our times have not come yet, and until then, we must not give up hope! Hope is all that we have left, don't you see? If you lose sight of that, you will be blind."  
  
Gryphon tried to look up and smile, but it was made difficult by the bonds holding him to the floor. "Follow them," he said simply, gesturing with his beak at the retreating enemies. Cat nodded and left without a noise.  
  
There was another laboratory. In it was a single grass plot. All of the instruments from the table were cleared away. The Queen was still discussing Gryphon, and asked again, more impatiently, "Why do you not torture him for information?"  
  
"That, my dear," (this, by the way, provoked a start of jealousy from the King) "is my next surprise. But, for once, this is not a machine."  
  
He drew himself up, and looking tall and tough, called out. "Mantis! Mantis!" All of a sudden, something shot up from the grass plot, and Cat cowered behind the King. It was, as Hatter had said, a mantis, and it was not, as he had acknowledged, a machine. It was also very, very large. It looked as mean as it was big. Hatter walked up to it.  
  
"Whom do you serve, Mantis?" he boomed. Cat felt a wave of disgust at Hatter's theatrics wash over him.  
  
"The Red Queen," the Mantis replied. It saw a glint in the King's eye and bent to meet his eyes. "And no one but the Red Queen."  
  
His voice was rough and cruel, his expression . His plates were made out of a hard shell that was flexible, for maximum movement capabilities. He was armed to the teeth, and Cat knew that he would make a terrible opponent. But Cat saw that when he reared up, there were several soft spots on his underbelly, all exposed by chinks in the armour. But the Queen did not notice.  
"As you can see, he is completely loyal and will stop at nothing to expose and exterminate those pests in the woods. He will, hopefully, also be able to raise up a bug army."  
  
"Hopefully?" the Queen asked coldly.  
  
"The insects that choose to listen. I'd imagine that you would have definite takers with the spiders, the ants... maybe the bees..."  
  
"Good," the Queen said. Then, "I must confess, Hatter, that you have exceeded my wildest expectations. In fact," she continued, "I am so pleased with you that I am raising you rank. You are, henceforth, a Duke. Though... if you would prefer the continuing name of 'Hatter,' I will not object."  
  
"Your Majesty is too kind, really," Hatter said, kissing her hand. "But yes, I will accept the title and the appointment. I will also stay here, with my labs, to develop more projects... more goodies for you," he said, giving an impish grin. Cat thought that it was the scariest thing that he'd ever seen.  
  
Hatter led the way back to the front door, the way that they had come. A perfect end to a perfect day. He had got so much done. Then the Queen had come by, and though it was always a little nerve-wracking, he had got a promotion and risen in her favour. Not only that, but the rebels had not made a peep that whole day; at least not during the visit, he remembered darkly. Beforehand they had been as loud as ever, but they always managed to hide from his automatons somehow. They would pop into holes that were no bigger than a thimble and come out of a tree stump next to it. That was one part of Wonderland's magic that he had never got the hang of. Something always got stuck.  
  
He had an eerie feeling, so he hurried back the way that he had come and checked all of his security measures. To his horror, a reflection in one of his mirrors showed not three figures, but four. "Who was the fourth?" he asked himself wildly. He adjusted a hidden knob in the mirror and watched again. A wide, catlike grin, then a gradual appearance of fur and a tail. The Cheshire Cat had been inside his house! He cursed savagely and hurried back down to Gryphon.  
  
He was livid, Gryphon knew immediately, and he also knew why. "Stop, Hatter," he bade, feigning weariness. "Just say your latest grievance against me and be done with it."  
  
But Hatter raved for hours, which was what Gryphon had counted on. Through this, he learned that Hatter had somehow revived the Jabberwock, and that he was living in the Land of Fire and Brimstone, secretly, under a mountain. Gryphon kept a blank face and stayed silent. He had heard a great deal of the creature that had killed his father. But he was determined not to move.


	4. Chapter 4

In the beginning of May, three months after he'd begun treating her, Halden couldn't help but be surprised about Faith. Was she really insane? Could she be treated? But what about Wonderland? He hadn't really asked her much about it yet, as she was rather sensitive about it, and he didn't want to alienate her. Not when they were becoming friends.  
  
That night, he brought a few things, mostly records, from the city. It included admission and release documents from the asylum, construction and bank records, and so on. But he had also brought a surprise. In an old, dusty bank vault, he had found an old red diary that had belonged to Alice, as Faith was incredibly curious about her. He brought the thick stack of papers in his briefcase, and he had hurried up to her cell, ignoring the calls of the receptionist.  
  
He saw Reynald at her door, and was immediately wary.  
  
"Don't SHOUT at me, you ungrateful WRETCH!!" Dr. Reynald shouted through the slat. He sounded furious.  
  
"I'll SHOUT whether you WANT me to or NOT, Reynald!!" she shouted back.  
  
"That new psychiatrist you're so taken with is NOT coming back! He abandoned you, so you may as well get on with your MISERABLE EXISTENCE!"  
  
"He's MARRIED, you IDIOT! And I am NOT taken with him, though I'll confess that if I liked him HALF as much as I hated you, he'd be a GOD to me!"  
  
"Give me a break, child. Don't deny that I heard you talking to someone who wasn't there!" he smirked.  
  
There was no noise from the other side of the door at all after that. Dr. Reynald pounded on the door a few times, but received no reply.  
  
After a moment, there was a queer noise. It was the other inmates. They were chanting. Halden could barely make out the words.  
  
"Silent treatment! Silent treatment! SILENT TREATMENT! SILENT TREATMENT!" and there was a sub-chant: "FAITH! FAITH! FAITH! FAITH!" At this, Halden stepped forward.  
"Excuse me," he said mildly. Reynald jumped and sneered at him.  
  
"Well? What is it?" he asked, as though he were talking to an orderly.  
  
"I came to see Faith," he said, loud enough so that she could hear. Unfortunately, it brought on another round of chanting. He spoke over the din. "I have a few things that may interest her!"  
  
He brushed past Reynald, and walked into her cell. Right off he noticed that her sheet was missing. So were most of the drawings off the walls. Faith perched on her normal seat on the bed, seething. Halden walked over and sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She regarded him suspiciously, as though she weren't sure he was real.  
  
"He said that you weren't coming back," she said, her voice quavering.  
  
"Of course I was," he said warmly. "I wouldn't miss my last visit. As long as I said that I'd be coming back, I'd come back. Even though I had to talk to Reynald again."  
  
"You have courage," she said, and laughed, but that was an empty, hollow sound. Halden smiled.  
  
"I brought a few things that may interest you. They're just documents and records, really, but they'll give you a little insight."  
  
Faith opened the briefcase and the first thing she saw was the diary. "What is this?" she asked, looking at him.  
  
"Open it," he said. She did so, and gasped.  
  
"How did you-where... Thank you!" she exclaimed, and tackled him in a hug. After a few moments like that, he started feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"Faith... Air!" he rasped, and she let go instantly, embarrassed. She thanked him again, more dignified this time. As she drew back he noticed a mark on her palm.  
  
"What's that on your palm?" he asked.  
  
"A scar," she said quietly. "From the fire."  
  
She stared at it, and began to speak. "This... scar. It's not really normal. It was in the chamber I told you about, on the knob of the door that led to the garden. It had never been there before. But... the smoke in there... it was so thick, so heavy. All of the doors were closed. I couldn't see anything. I tripped... I never knew what I tripped over, until recently. I tripped over Jeremy. He was trying to reach out to me; trying to call to me. If I hadn't been so blind... so stupid, he would have been able to get to me. He was calling... I hear him in my dreams."  
  
Faith! Faith! Please, why aren't you listening..? No! Don't go, don't leave me!  
  
She shook herself out of her reverie, and a single tear fell down her cheek. She turned to the crow, ashamed. It had caught a mantis for its dinner, she noticed. She watched it eat for a moment, then stared off into a dark corner.  
  
"No, not tonight. I can't go tonight," she said to the wide grin that only she could see. Halden was immediately worried, thinking back to Dr. Davidson's comment.  
  
"But when? Wonderland needs you," the voice that only she could hear was reprimanding, yet the grin was still there. "I know that Wonderland needs me... I just can't go tonight. I'm not ready."  
  
"Too busy ogling over your therapist?" the voice was slightly mocking.  
  
"No I'm not!" she snapped. "You know as well as I do that I'm not ready to go... to go face this problem."  
  
"Then I'll take my leave," Cat said, and vanished. Halden was startled, but still, he kept his voice calm. In reality, though, he was thinking that this was the end, and that had failed, that she would send him carelessly away and have only the now-bare walls to stare at forever. She didn't show any signs of even noticing that he was there, so he spoke.  
  
"Tell me about Wonderland. Why are you so reluctant to go?"  
  
Faith couldn't look into his eyes for long. She turned away and sank down onto her bed, thinking, her face troubled. What if he thought she was crazy? What if he locked her up in here and threw away the keys? What if he challenged her to take him there? Then what would she do? She realised that he was waiting on her, and started speaking.

"When Alice was seven, she dreamt up a land. It was... an amazing place, to say the least. It was a place where literally anything could happen. She grew to the size of a tree and shrank to three inches... and so much more.  
  
"She didn't realise it at the time, but she had essentially created a whole world that grew and thrived. But then the Red Queen, or Queen of Hearts, took over Wonderland. It was actually about that time that her house burned down, I'd imagine. But Wonderland thrived when she did, and crumbled when she did as well. But then... mysteriously, when she was seventeen, it vanished. But it turned up in her daughter when she was seven... but vanished at seventeen again.  
  
"And since then, Wonderland has... I dunno, been passed down, always appearing at seven, but disappearing at seventeen. I remember that Mum and Grandmother watched me a little closely, so I guess they got it too. Then my house burned down and I have to save Wonderland, just like Alice did. But I'm not ready to face my fears. I'm scared."  
  
Faith checked the clock and turned to him. "Look," she said urgently. "I know that this is your last visit, and time is running out. I had a friend in London, if you're staying. Her name is Jean Crawford. You need to find her and talk to her. She knows about Wonderland, and all the stories I told about it. You need to ask her."  
  
Halden hesitated. Many times, meeting people referred to by patients brought on an entirely new patient, and generally, the disorder was worse. But this was different. Somehow, he still didn't think that she was insane. She didn't show any signs of insanity when she talked to him or interacted with Reynald. He started to speak, but was interrupted with the bell, signifying that their time was up.  
  
He stood up to leave and turned to face her. "Listen to me, Faith. I'm not welcome here anymore - you know that. The only thing that I can tell you is that you have to face your fears. You have to face yourself. That's the only way that you can save yourself and your world. Good luck." And just like that, he was gone.  
  
Faith stared after him for a moment and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. He couldn't leave, he just couldn't. He had kept her sane, somehow. Now Reynald had torn him away from her. Almost like Jeremy. Only he had been able to say goodbye.  
  
She slapped herself again, hard, but even then, she could not stop her tears. They came out in great, wracking sobs that had seven years of suffering fixed into them.

She stopped after a while. Then she saw the stuffed rabbit. It was moving.  
  
She watched the stuffed rabbit slowly start to stand up - on its own. Faith backed away, wondering what sort of horrible trick Reynald was playing on her now. But... it couldn't be Reynald. He was a jerk, for lack of a better word, but he had no sense of humour about any patient... especially her.

Her thoughts were occupying her, and her attention wandered from the rabbit. Yet a sudden movement from it caused her to snap her head up and stare at it. The rabbit was fully standing up now, and it had just fiercely whipped her knee with its ears. Faith jumped up and backward, and rubbing her knee, asked, "What do you want?"  
  
The rabbit was still for a moment. Then, it morphed into... another rabbit. Only, this one was real, and wore a top hat and coat. White kid gloves adorned his hands. His pink eyes looked straight into her blue ones. Then, "We want you. To come and save Wonderland. What did you think I wanted, a stuffed bunny to play with?"  
  
Faith was taken aback. This rabbit was so familiar... it was the White Rabbit from Wonderland; that was it. But he was being so rude. She remembered the timid and elusive Herald of the Queen that he had been... but that was all gone now. Everything was.

Rabbit was stamping one foot impatiently, and she saw his left eye just beginning to twitch. "I asked you a question," he said. "Are you ready to go or no?"  
  
Faith turned away, and her eyes fell on the journal, which had fallen open beside her. Gingerly she pulled it towards herself, and read what Alice had written over a century ago.  
  
_Grey Hours  
  
There are some hours when I seem so indifferent; all things fade  
To an indifferent greyness, like that grey of the sky;  
Always at evening-ends, on grey days; and I know not why,  
But life, and art, and love, and death, are the shade of a shade.  
Then, in those hours, I hear old voices murmur aloud,  
And memory forgoes desire, too weary at heart for regret;  
Dreams come with beckoning fingers, and I forget to forget;  
The world as a cloud drifts by, or I drift by as a cloud.  
  
What has happened to me that I must suffer this greyness? Wonderland is gone, and I cannot get it back. I've lost it forever, I know. Now it is for some one else to save."  
  
_Faith mouthed the words to herself, taking longer with the last ones, and raised her head. There was quiet resolution in her eyes. Rabbit watched her, pleased at the newfound spark. Perhaps it would eventually fan into a fire. "I'm ready," she said quietly. "Now, take me.  
  
Rabbit held out his hand. As Faith took it, she felt herself slipping away. A kaleidoscopically coloured fog flooded her room, spilling out into the rest of the asylum. The sensation of falling permeated her senses, and with eyes half-closed she fell through, entering Wonderland and bridging the void between worlds. Her vision blurred and she felt herself grow light-headed as she left her world behind.  
  
(Grey Hours was written by Arthur Symons)


	5. Chapter 5

Faith awoke with a jarring thump on rough terrain. With half-closed eyes, she gazed at what her limited vision would allow, and wondered vaguely if she had fallen into a nightmare. Black clouds hung low over the horizon, almost covering the iron-grey sky. Twisted trees and stubby bushes littered the land, while jagged rocks jutted out from hidden canyons and ditches.  
  
She groaned and sat up. Her back was stiff from her landing, and her head ached. She pulled herself the rest of the way up, and stared at the changed world around her. She had landed at the base of a strangely familiar hill. It was rounded at the top and sloped gently down on one side. On other side it jutted out, forming a steep drop of about twenty feet. She began climbing the sloped side, and found herself with a bird's eye view of the ruin that was Wonderland.  
  
Carnage lay around her, and in the far distance she could see a volcano, not even the size of a pencil tip. The only reason that she even noticed it was because it was erupting. Not quite so far off was a forest. She couldn't look at it long. It was different from the rest of Wonderland; it was the only place that was green. But it was a sick, muted green that reeked of decay. Near the hill was a town. She headed to it.  
  
She sat down in despair upon seeing it more closely, believing that it was her - her lateness - that had caused it. Homes were burned to the ground; bits and pieces of their frames were the only semblance of homes that remained. Decomposing bodies were scattered around. Some had been picked clean by the birds and insects, leaving only skeletons. She saw two corpses: a mother, still clutching her baby, their bodies charred and black. Faith clutched a hand to her mouth and turned away, only to find a man impaled on a sharp spear, with ants feeding on his entrails. She groaned and retched, crying. What had happened here?  
  
The hill. She had to get back to the hill, away from all of this. God, the smells, the sights... she couldn't breathe, she didn't want to see. She was gasping for breath, gasping, trying to will herself back into her own world. She staggered and came face-to-face with a corpse, again. For a moment she thought that it was her brother's horrified face staring sightlessly at her, but after that split second it was just another man, his face and throat half-eaten by the maggots that swarmed out from his body.  
  
Faith lost it. She ran, fast as she could to the hill, and when she got there, she climbed, unaware of what she was doing. Exhausted, she slumped down onto her knees and screamed. For a long time she didn't form any coherent syllables, until she finally formed words. Words that echoed her pain, her shock. Her brother's name. Mama. Daddy. Halden. They hurt; hurt worse than seeing all this. But she didn't stop, not until she was hoarse.  
  
"Jeremy. Jeremy," she half-whispered, half sobbed. She staggered to her feet, for no apparent reason other than that her feet were falling asleep. But she could have sworn that she had seen something. Something moving, that may have been alive. She fell going down, but continued on her hands and knees until she could see more clearly.  
  
Perhaps it was blind chance; perhaps it was fate that made the clouds cover the pale, cold moon at that exact instant and prevented her from seeing much further than a few feet in front of her nose. She halted for a moment, hoping that the moonshine would reveal the movement more, but the thick, black clouds showed no signs of waning. She frowned and squinted, and found that if she did, she could see four feet instead of two. And she got a headache from it.  
  
She turned around and started back, but she hadn't gone far when she realised that she was headed towards the village, which was the last place that she wanted to go. But nevertheless, every time she tried to turn back to the hill, she found herself smelling that stench again, stronger, and then she'd see the corpses again, and they were terrible in the darkness. The moon made one's imagination go wild. Darkness terrified Faith; and the corpses and their mutilations seemed much bigger than they were.  
  
In her panic she found herself running toward the village - but she ended up on the hill. She had forgotten that little aspect of Wonderland.  
  
The moon came out again, and she saw that same shadowy figure. Forgetting once again about Wonderland's magic, she hurried over - and found that she could actually reach her destination. "Comes and goes," she muttered to herself, and walked over. When she was about twenty feet away, the moon was covered again, and the land was covered in darkness. Faith couldn't see the figure anymore. "Hello?" she called out. "Hello?"  
  
But there was no answer. As Faith walked closer, though, she could hear unpleasant noises being made. A sucking; wet, slightly guttural sound that jarred her senses. She crept nearer, stone in hand, not wanting to meet this thing unprepared. She did anyway.  
  
The thing leapt at her, and pushed her flat on her back. The stone flew into the air, and it was only by grace of god that it didn't come plummeting down onto her head. Rather, it was about a half-foot away, and the thing that had jumped at her had bounded away. She felt something warm and wet on her shoulder, and put her finger to it. It was sticky and felt totally unnerving. She put her fingers in front of her face and saw something dark on it that looked and smelled like blood. She shuddered, but did not get up.  
  
There was a sudden draft, and she felt along the top of her sweater. It had ripped it- right on the shoulder! She sighed in undisguised annoyance and- her sweater. She was wearing her navy blue sweater and purple dress; the same ones that she'd worn the night of the fire. Black lace up combat boots clothed her feet and legs. She'd been wearing the asylum uniform when she'd left Earth.  
  
She fastened the sweater together as best she could where it mattered, and got up. Now, all that was left was to find that thing and what it was.  
  
After a few minutes of walking, Faith found herself back on the hill. Only this time, there was already someone - or something - there.  
  
Cat walked forward, staying in shadow, and surveyed the girl. Those clothes suited her. He noticed the slash. Oops. Where was that rabbit? he wondered impatiently, and continued his survey.  
  
Now that Faith was out of the asylum and that terrible uniform, he could get a look at her. She was thin from a few years of malnourishment, but the clothes fit well enough. He couldn't have her hitching them up - or having them fall down - in the middle of a battle, could he? His eyes travelled up to her face. Dark eyes, dark hair, pale. The asylum's light hadn't been that deceiving, then. The dark circles under her eyes had lightened considerably, so he put that on the asylum's lighting, too. He stumbled suddenly, and her head flew up immediately, the moonlight highlighting the fear in her eyes.  
  
"Who's there?" Faith called. She sounded scared, even to herself. Well, get over it. It may be a friend or something. Oh, she was exasperated with herself. It was... well, wanting to see what it was, but being too afraid... Why?  
  
The figure stumbled into view. "Cheshire!" she called in surprise. Cat paused and stepped into the light. Faith gasped. This was not the Cheshire Cat that she was used to. He was emaciated; skeletal. He appeared more the rebel soldier than the plump, elegant Cat that he had been. Blood dripped from his lips, and his eyes told a story of running; of being hunted. Of fear.  
  
"Not so loud!" he hissed. "Do you want them to hear you?" His eyes narrowed slightly, and Faith backed away.  
  
"No," she whispered. "What happened to you?"  
  
Cat thought that she meant the blood on his face, and he said simply that he had been eating. She shook her head, indicating that she hadn't meant that.  
  
"I meant that... well, you're so thin... you look like you're being hunted..."  
  
"I've told you many times before; I am being hunted," he said, exasperated. "And I haven't eaten in months until today."  
  
"Sorry," she said quietly. She glanced away from him, gesturing to the ruins. "How do you deal with this...?"  
  
"By staying alive."  
  
"How should I..?"  
  
"Oh, find out yourself. I can't know everything; pretend you're an orphan. Oh that was rude, you are."  
  
Faith turned away, angry and hurt. "Y'know what, Cheshire? I think that-"  
  
"We don't have time for this!" a new voice interrupted. The White Rabbit bounded up, visibly peeved. "If all that you two are going to do is argue like a brood of ninnies, she'll have come here for nothing and we will be roasted on the Queen's own personal spit."  
  
Cat hissed, not at either of them, but at the Queen. "The Queen. The Queen. My lower incisors for the Queen. Destroy that wretched creature," he sneered.  
  
Rabbit glanced at him, then briefly sidelong at Faith. "Of course," he said slowly, "if Faith had come sooner, not only would we have more time to talk, then we could be plucked and boiled, too."  
  
Cat turned to Faith, and asked, "Shall we walk?" Faith nodded. As they went, Cat explained a few things to her.  
  
"You remember the Queen on your last visit, am I correct? Pretty enough, but rather temperamental? Good. Well, she lost any semblance of what one would call "a pretty face" since about a year before the fire. She... changed. Now, she is... indescribably hideous. Let me... hmmm."  
  
He closed his eyes and a grotesque image appeared in Faith's head. Faith's eyes flew open and she shook her head. "That's... ugh!" She rapidly shook her head again. Cat held up a paw and told her to calm down.  
  
"Now, as I was saying, she's different. You will need to journey through all of Wonderland to find a way to defeat her. All of us rebels together can't stop her. That's why we're counting on you. You're Alice's heir, and you alone have the skill necessary to destroy her."  
  
"How did she get like this?" Faith asked him.  
  
"Probably because someone stuck a very long, very sharp pole up her ass," Rabbit answered. Faith started in surprise. Not only had she not heard him coming, but that was, even now, the last thing that she had expected to hear. Cat chuckled softly.  
  
"Yes, we have changed here, Faith. You'll find that many once familiar faces have become... not so familiar anymore. Times have changed, people along with them. Countess is still here, as is the White King. Hatter is here, but Dormy is gone. So are several others."  
  
"Cat, you said that all of you rebels have tried to defeat her but can't. What d'you mean that only I have the skill? That makes no sense. I mean, I'm even afraid of bugs, for crying out loud. And who's them?"  
  
"Then you're going to have fun later on," Cat informed her. He did not say more on the subject, though Faith did press him about it a little. Finally, he told her to shut up and listen to what he had to say.  
  
"Now, you know that there are few you can associate with and even fewer that you can trust. Rabbit and I are some of those few. You'll generally know them when you see them."  
  
"How?" she asked, confused. Cat smiled ironically.  
  
"Because, Faith, they're the ones who won't try to kill you at first sighting."  
  
Faith stared at him for a moment, but roused herself after a moment, frowning. This time, it was she who would not speak more. But Cat did not push, and they fell into awkward silence. They walked on and Faith shuddered, asking herself why she had to go to the village again.  
  
"Because all journeys have a beginning. They all require one. Trite, but true, even here," he said simply. She wondered if he could read her thoughts, because she didn't remember saying it out loud.  
  
"Yes, and they generally require a destination, but no one here seems too keen on telling me where it ends," Faith snapped, though she was afraid that she did not want to know.  
  
"What's going on here!? I'm not seeing any hurrying!"  
  
"Oh come now, it's not as bad as all that. It's just... hard, that's all," Cat told Faith, trying to be reassuring. It didn't really work.

"Where do I start? And what do I do when I get there?" she asked. Cat pointed over to a low tunnel.  
  
"That is the village entrance. You can start there."  
  
Picking her way through the rubble. Jumping over crevices that had just recently formed. Ducking under twisted metal and debris. This and more Faith had to contend with as she travelled over the wasteland that was once Wonderland. She knew that the soldiers had done their work well. There wasn't even a slight chance of survivors in this section of the town. "If they can destroy whole towns, whole villages, what's the chance that one girl, a cat, and a rabbit can do anything? It's ridiculous that they chose me..." and trailed off.  
  
There was a long, low tunnel just off to her right. Ahead of her, the path loomed on. She turned from one to the other, perplexed. If she continued on with the road, there was an old building that was not entirely burned down. It looked a little like a house. Through the tunnel... it seemed to go underground for a short while, then come up over where the carnage was not so bad... it appeared to be the less populated half.  
  
Finally, she decided to explore the house first. The path was long and winding, permanently embedded into the earth from many years of hard use. Towards the sides, deep ruts had been indestructibly pressed into the road, and Faith found it best to stick to the middle. Dead flowers that had once been well-tended, but were now trampled and dry bordered the road.  
  
As she neared the house, she saw a litter of corpses, but some were of an unfamiliar sort. They were men, but they were short and very flat. From a distance they seemed to be cards with heads, arms, and legs. When she got closer, she found that they were. They were the Queen's card guards. Gingerly she stepped over them, noticing that they were all clubs, with the exception of a diamond or two. Even then, the clubs were few in number. The others were all villagers. A young man had died with his weapon still in his hand. His head, unfortunately, was missing.  
  
The iron gates stood closed, but when Faith pushed one of them, it swung open with ease before falling off. She winced. The walkway was brick, and the distant gardens had the look of once being well cared for, though the flowers and hedges were now entangled with weeds. There had been a complete attack on this place, she realised. Patches of rusty red stood out awfully vividly against the mottled green and brown of the gardens.  
  
Suddenly she tripped on a loose brick and fell, shutting her eyes tight against the oncoming brick. She landed with a thud, and as she lay there, images of smoke and stone filled her mind. Her eyes opened wide but they wouldn't go away. When she dared get up from lying on the brick, she felt her stomach turn from the nearby stench. She hadn't seen the corpse.  
  
The house loomed over her, frighteningly big and dark, and Faith began to suffer doubts about going in. Finally, she went.  
  
It took almost all of her strength to push the big double doors open, but the inside surprised her. At first it seemed just a long hallway that branched off a few times. It was perfectly clean, with no sign of any of the horrors outside. There were many doors, and she was a little uncertain as to which door to choose first. Almost by itself, her hand reached towards the first door and pushed in. It wouldn't budge. So she tried the handle.  
  
This time the door swung easily open. The first thing that she noticed was a queer smell that filled the air. It was sick and strangely sweet, and she gagged and coughed as it suddenly overpowered her nostrils. Should she go in another step? May as well. She stepped in, and the first thing that greeted her was that smell, overwhelmingly strong. She recoiled and choked on it, brought the end of her sweater up to her nose, and turned to face the door, trying to block the smell further. Eyes watering, Faith turned back around. The sight that greeted her eyes was nauseating.  
  
It was a rather pretty parlour, with the walls decorated a pale shade of pink that darkened in the shadows that the meagre lights from the lamps didn't hit. The curtains were white with a delicate lace trim, and grey sunlight shone faintly through. They were decorated with slender vines that entwined in and out, with a pink rose dotted here and there. The carpeting was ivory. There was a table in the centre of the room, made of a beautiful combination of glass and wood. The wood formed lion's feet at the end and slowly rose up, and Faith noticed detailed flowers and other things carved into the legs. The couches were the same print as the curtains.  
  
On these couches were the things that were making this smell. The largest, obviously the man, had collapsed across the arm, attempting to shield his wife using his body. Something had slit his shirt up the back, and it had fallen open, exposing the skin. Strange symbols had been carved into his body using a long, blunt knife, which stuck out of his left shoulder blade at an odd angle. In addition to these were many stab and slash marks, and they got especially heavy towards the neck, as if someone had been hacking at it but hadn't succeeded at decapitation.  
  
Underneath him was his wife. She had been grotesquely beheaded; her executor seemed to have broken his blade. The cut was jagged and shards of a strange metal poked into and out of her neck. Faith whirled around, and there was a child hanging from the ceiling by his neck, his entrails spilling out of a gaping hole in his stomach. She shrieked and ran out, hitting the stairs at a full run. She fell and tried to crawl away from the death, trying to find somewhere safe. Where she wouldn't need to see or be seen. "Cat!" she choked out, and he appeared.  
  
"I was thinking that you would have discovered this place, sooner or later."  
  
"What is it? What happened here?" she gasped.  
  
"This was the Mayor Elder's home. He was our strongest ally, until the Queen found out that he was, in fact, a spy. She sent her guards here. The family was completely unaware. He didn't want them to find out about the danger that they were in. He knew that it was coming... he just didn't know when.  
  
"Another of our spies got wind of the oncoming attack, so he rushed to the village. He tried to rouse the villagers. Several came, but it was not nearly enough. None of them survived. It was about the time that Wonderland fell, about seven years ago."  
  
"But they're so fresh..."  
  
"Tell that to the wife's head. It's the only real sign of how much time has passed. The Queen keeps these fresh as a deterrent for anyone seeking solace. Decaying bodies would not have quite as much effect on would-be rebels as fresh corpses, don't you think?"  
  
Faith felt her knees grow weak. These people had been dead... seven years. "Wonderland, where are you?" she asked miserably.  
  
"It's right here," Cat said, arching his back and leering at her.  
  
"No, it can't be... not here. Not this."  
  
"Oh, it's not as bad as all that. If you're caught, your punishment won't be much worse than this."

"Oh, no pressure, right?" Faith snapped.  
  
"Oh there's pressure. You're our last hope."  
  
"Will you stop saying that?!"  
  
"Fine."  
  
With that, he vanished.


	6. Chapter 6

Doom, doom, doom. He could still hear it. That noise. That accursed drumming. The drumming that had spelled Wonderland's ruin.  
  
Angry with himself, he shook his head. The rest of the rebels were quietly celebrating Faith's coming, but they hadn't seen her. He heard Caterpillar's strange half-slither half-walk from behind him and turned around.  
  
"Well?" Caterpillar asked.  
  
"We're doomed," he said softly. "No, let them all celebrate. God knows they need it. But they haven't seen her."  
  
"Is she dead already?"  
  
"No, but almost as good as."  
  
"What did you see?" Caterpillar asked.  
  
"I see a pathetic, petrified little thing that wouldn't know the difference between a blade and a cutlery knife. She is a coward, and is ever thinking of herself. She won't think about us, or about Wonderland. She found the Mayor's house and the surprise that's inside it and turned tail and ran. Rabbit had to lead her away after she got outside- she could barely stand on her own."  
  
"Not the best thing to see on your first trip back," Caterpillar said, choosing to ignore the last part, although the light at the end of the tunnel grew significantly dimmer.  
  
"Generally not. Would there be anyone else that could do it?"  
  
"You know the answer as well as I do, Cheshire," Caterpillar reprimanded. Cat hung his head even lower, and his ears drooped.  
  
"Is there even a point? To hope, I mean. Why do we even try? This has happened before... Does that mean that if she does the impossible and saves everyone, that it will just happen some other generation?"  
  
"You're letting your doubts surface, Cheshire. Let me show you something."  
  
He led Cat to a hill that ended in a cliff and pointed downwards at the rest of them. Torches illuminated them, and Cat could clearly see a few positively weeping for joy.  
  
"Look at them, Cheshire. They regard you as their leader, and you have kept what hope they have alive. If it weren't for you, they would be no better than the Mad Children. Don't you see that if you told them everything that they would lose everything?"  
  
"But they have nothing," Cat said dejectedly. "There's nothing to take away."  
  
"Haven't you been listening?" at Cat's distraction, he sighed. "I see that age does not necessarily equal wisdom."  
  
Cat glared at him disapprovingly. "And you are the prime example of why some animals eat their young."  
  
"They may have nothing but the clothes on their back, and granted, a few don't even have that, but what all of them share is hope. Hope is what keeps this miserable band alive."  
  
"It is long since we had much of it... but I suppose that for all of her spinelessness I must place all of my trust in her," he said thoughtfully. A new thought seemed to dawn on him, and he straightened out his spine best he could. "I will guide her. I may not be with her all of the time, but I won't survive sitting around waiting."  
  
"You're talking like a sane person," Caterpillar smiled.  
  
"No, I'm not. She won't learn anything if I do."  
  
"Then go, and I will talk to Rabbit about doing the forest."  
  
With that, Cat bounded off, quickly fading into the horizon, blending perfectly with the night sky.  
  
After that room, there was no way that Faith was going to explore the manor any more, and within short order, she was facing the tunnel once more. But once there, she stopped. At her chest, she clutched the pendant that Jeremy had given her. Lost in thought, she turned away from the road to stare at the pendant in her hand, and wondered what she would be doing once she took that first step. The wind rustled through her sweater, blew gently through her hair, moving to the village.  
  
I wonder if there's a sign in that wind, she thought, looking behind her. There was nothing behind her... but not much in front, either. Fa-i-th... Jeremy. Was Jeremy in front of her? Was Cat? Or was there nothing but what lay in the wake of the Queen? The Queen. She's so different than any problem I've ever faced. I've never had to fight to solve problems before. But I have to now. I wish I could tell someone how scared I am. Reynald. That bastard. God, I wish that he was one of the people in the manor. I wish he was that little boy.... Jeremy. What does he think? Does he forgive me? Halden. He's sweet... but he can't help me now. JEREMY.  
  
Doom, doom, doom. She could hear it so clearly from what Cat had said to her. She could see the army, running through the hordes of frightened women and children, stabbing this way and that, not caring who they hit until no one remained but them. She saw Jeremy's terrified face before her, rarely seen tears clouding his eyes, his blond hair dark from the smoke and soot. Doom, doom, doom. It pounded inside her head, engulfing her senses, until she was almost lost in the pounding.  
  
"Ye there! Blimey! 'oo are ye??" the voice came from very close, almost beside her. Startled, she whirled around, and found herself staring at a bent old woman with a craggy, weathered face, pushing a wheelbarrow laden with wood and nails.  
  
"Me? I- what are you doing?"  
  
"'Elpin'. 'elpin' ta rebuild Alice's Village." A cloudy brown eye stared at her; a dusty, brownish eye patch covered the other.  
  
"Then... it's true."  
  
"Wotcher mean, 'it were true?' It's been d'stroyed for six and an 'alf years."  
  
Faith saw a certain bitterness in the woman. "Why have you waited so long? Was it the Queen?"  
  
"Yes, init? That bloody Queen destroyed us village. But they say that us saviour is comin'. Some are afraid that she'll fail. I say if she fails, ffen she were wot I fought that she were in the first place: a coward and a weaklin'."  
  
"What was her name?"  
  
"Faiff. They say she's Alice's 'progeny'. Codswallop, if'n ye ask me. By the chuffin' way, 'oo are ye?"  
  
"I'm Mara."  
  
"Pleased ta meets ye, init? I'm Morag, the tahn's former medicine lass."  
  
"I'm from up north... I'm not a native."  
  
"Well I can tell that by the bleedin' way ye dress an' speak. Come on, right, it's likely ta rain soon, and it's better not ta be caught in the bleedin' rain nowadays."  
  
So Faith followed the woman to the village, and she learned that the townspeople were all eagerly awaiting her arrival. She was rather downcast at this, knowing that for all their hope, there was probably even more doubt, and hung her head in shame. As they passed through the gates, the sudden feel and smell of death were overwhelming. She shook her head rapidly and gasped for breath. The old woman grasped her by the arm to steady her.  
  
"Yeah, not many of us are used ta that smell yet. It's the bloomin' smell of deaff, and it ain't pretty. But it's wot there is."  
  
Faith nodded numbly. Why was all of this happening? She could hear the screaming, crying voices. See the pointless, brutal destruction. Smell the death. She couldn't escape it.  
  
Once again she was startled out of her reverie by Cat appearing. He watched the woman warily from the corner of his eye. "Thank you for showing her to the village, Morag. She's my charge, so it won't be necessary to look after her anymore."  
  
"Well then, right, go on. But 'ere, Mara."  
  
The woman pushed a small sack into her hand, bound by a leather cord that fit around Faith's neck. "These are 'erbs that will treat wounds. I don't know why, right, but sumfink in me gut tells me that ye'll need it. The green ones are for eatin', the red for bindin' the wound. The black ones will keep poison from spreadin' frough yer system."  
  
Faith smiled at her. "Thank you," she whispered.  
  
Morag merely nodded and resumed plodding through the mud to the site. She was gone in a few moments, lost in the crowd.  
  
Cat turned to her, and arching a quizzical eyebrow, asked, "Mara?"  
  
"Every one of the rebels is eagerly waiting for me. But that's not the case with everyone. There are those that think that I'm just a myth or a legend. There are even those who hate me for waiting so long." She sighed and slumped down into a sitting position against a wooden beam. "I have to protect myself. Everyone knows about Faith. They don't know about Mara."  
  
Cat stared at her for a long while, and finally nodded. "Good. Jill isn't Jill anymore, and Jack isn't in the picture."  
  
"Cheshire!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Oh, never mind."  
  
"Picky picky."  
  
Faith turned to him, and he grinned at her, very widely. "Shall we walk?" he asked. She nodded. As they walked, he described a little of what was going on in the outer world to her. Reynald was completely furious and had placed a warrant for her arrest, stating that a dangerous mental patient was on the loose. Her home was being rebuilt, and was awaiting an owner. There were many prospective buyers. He said nothing about Halden. "Also," he said, "You are to follow Rabbit through his door... the only problem is that you are much too big,. There is an elder that you must find, he will know what to do," he said, making a large space with his paws and bringing them down to about three inches high.  
  
"Why do I need to go through the door?"  
  
"Curious little thing, aren't we? Ah, your stop is coming soon."  
  
Finally, when they had reached an even worse part of town, where reconstruction had not yet begun, he faced her.  
  
"I leave now. But if you ever need me, call kitty and kitty will come." With that, he vanished, and Faith had never felt so alone in her life.  
  
Awkwardly, she walked on, until she found a crude, hand-written sign.  
  
"Welcome to Dementia"  
  
Past the gate, there were only tunnels. Two of them, with two strange-looking guards standing at attention in front of them. They were green and looked suspiciously like geckos. She walked up to them, but they barred the way to both entrances.  
  
"Excuse me... what are these?" she asked. They gave her queer looks, and pointed to the sign. She turned to see if there was writing on the back.  
  
"You can ask us a question, but one of us will always tell the truth, but one will always lie. We will only tell you the truth - both of us - when you aren't asking about the doors."  
  
"So basically, ask us a question, yes or no, and we'll give you an answer. Don't matter what you ask, if it's about the doors, you'll get either a lie or the truth. One leads to death, the other to Dementia."  
  
Faith moaned in hopelessness. She hadn't come far at all, and already she was stuck. She knew that Cat didn't trust in her, and knew that if she asked for his help then, he would never even begin. "Give me a little time," she said quietly, and sat down.  
  
"Sure. By the way, who are you?" the first one asked.  
  
"I'm Mara. Who are you?"  
  
"We're the guardians of the gates."  
  
"Is that all?" she asked. Then, worried that they would take it the wrong way, she continued hurriedly, "I mean, do you have names that you use?"  
  
"Nah, too confusing. Everyone expects us to rhyme."  
  
"I see," and all was quiet. After a little while, she stood.  
  
"Alright, answer me this. You, on the left."  
  
The lizard waited for the question expectantly.  
  
"Would he tell me that this door leads to Dementia?"  
  
He paused a moment, letting the question register. "Yes," he finally replied.  
  
Faith paused, thinking. "Then the other door leads to Dementia, and this one leads to death."  
  
"And how would you know that?" the first one asked.  
  
"Well, if you were lying, then he would really mean 'no' and be telling the truth. But if you told the truth, he would be lying and still mean 'no.'"  
  
The lizards stared back and forth at each other, then at her, then back at the other, evidently confused. They whispered amongst themselves, and she caught the phrase "Is that right?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so," the other whispered. "I didn't die when I went through."  
  
They straightened up, and the right guard calmly stepped aside, letting her pass. She went through, entering the darkness.  
  
Faith found herself in a long, dark tunnel. The walls were muddy grey well-worn stones, with a few years' worth of mucous coating on them. They were disgusting to look at and even worse to touch. She found this out when she brushed her shoulder on one while avoiding a rat.  
  
As she neared the end of the tunnel, she became more and more uneasy, for reasons that she didn't know. There was something there, an elusive presence, watching but not yet seeing. She walked a little faster, hoping to outrun the feeling.  
  
She heard thumping behind her, and voices.  
  
"Say, it's been a spell o' we foun' enny rebels t'sharpen our spears on, eh?"  
  
"Damn straight it's been. Now we're s'pposed to be on the lookout for this person called Faith. Rumoured to be Alice's heir."  
  
"Ha, if we find her, you know 's good as I do that we're to call the hearts, the General, or the Duke."  
  
"What hearts? The Duke, the General. Ha, ha, ha. You know's well's me that there ain't none of 'em 'ere."  
  
Terrified, Faith backed into an alcove that sheltered her from view, at least for a moment. Two of those strange card men sauntered into view. Their suit was clubs. As they passed further, she backed up further until she felt a wall at her back. She pressed tightly against it, holding in her revulsion, watching to see what they did. She was extremely discomfited when they stopped to have a conversation.  
  
"Ay, what did you think of that competition yesterday?"  
  
"Bloody brilliant that was. He just rolled himself up and went right between that great beasts' legs!"  
  
"Yeah. I loved that part where he had 'is spear right down that thing's throat!"  
  
"Yup, an' he was right there with it, too."  
  
"Brilliant. They even found 'is 'ead too, at least in the end."  
  
They passed her by. Once they were gone, she dared step out. She watched their retreating forms, and started to follow, if anything to see where they were headed. She tried to listen to what they were saying and follow without being heard at the same time.  
  
She was mostly successful, though she couldn't always hear them. Then they leaned against a wall to talk again. Alarmed, she ducked behind a square brick pillar, which was also covered with that goo. Stifling her disgust, she listened.  
  
"So, what d'you think 'bout this whole 'Faith' thing?" the first one asked.  
  
"I dunno. It's a little early, for tha'."  
  
"I doubt tha' it's much to worry for."  
  
"Yeah, but the Queen seem'd awful worried 'bout it,"  
  
"You don't even know the Queen!"  
  
"Yeah, but I gots me sources, there in the palace. D'you honestly think tha' I'd let an'thing go on under my nose?"  
  
"Eh, just th' things tha' you should keep yer nose out of," the first one said seriously. 


	7. Chapter 7

Halden checked his watch. The train was due to arrive at any minute. Best check to make sure... especially that he was on the right train. He'd got on the wrong one, once, because the schedules were a bit confusing. When he turned to check the schedule, he jumped. Standing silently beside him was a well-dressed young man, who seemed to be watching him intently. Halden couldn't really tell; he had the brim of a brown fedora over his eyes and a tan scarf over his chin.  
  
"Is there something you want?" Halden asked.  
  
The stranger adjusted his hat, and he saw piercing gold-brown eyes staring at him. The stranger had dark hair, which he wore a little long, and tapered down to rest at the back of his neck. Well-trimmed sideburns led to a goatee. He had at least two earrings.  
  
"Only to give you some... rather delayed good advice." His voice was silky smooth and deep.  
  
"What advice?" Halden asked.  
  
"It was about a patient that you tried to treat... not long ago."  
  
"Which? I've treated many."  
  
"It was the one named Faith. Faith Maras, if you want to go into specifics. With a good friend called 'June,' an acquaintance 'Jean' in London and a deceased brother 'Jeremy,' who currently resides in some cemetery several miles from her home."  
  
"How do you know all of this? What's going on with Faith?"  
  
"I know because I watch her. I have since she was about seven years old."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"You treated her wrong. You spent all of your time finding out what was wrong; her problems. You totally ignored the real reason that people thought that she was insane."  
  
"Which was? Wonderland?"  
  
"Very good." The voice was sarcastic.  
  
"So what should I have done?" Halden asked, matching the man's sarcasm well.  
  
"Oh, that was a little sharp for a therapist."  
  
Halden glared.  
  
"Anyway, what Faith needed more than a shoulder to cry on was a good slap in the face. Don't get me wrong on that, but the girl is positively wallowing in self-pity. She's really rather pathetic. It doesn't help us much."  
  
"Who are you?" Halden asked, completely stumped.  
  
"Cheshire. Cheshire Kitt Mara Danlor-wend, the eighth."  
  
"...I see," he finally said. He wondered where the "Kitt Mara" part came from. It didn't sound completely like a name that would belong to a noble.  
  
The two stood in silence for a moment, then Cheshire spoke again.  
  
"You're in a lot of trouble at Rutledge, you know. You've been accused of harbouring inmates."  
  
"What are they talking about?" Halden asked, evidently annoyed.  
  
"I see."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You don't know."  
  
"Know what?" Cheshire gave him a sidelong glance and smirked.  
  
"Faith disappeared."  
  
She was running. The soldiers were far, far behind her, and yet she was not trying to escape them. She had sneaked past them a while ago. Now she was trying to escape from the drums in her head.  
  
A figure appeared, about twenty feet in front of her. She barrelled into it, and she heard Cat's indignant hisses. She stopped and turned around. He was not quite so laid-back as he usually was. He appeared quite irritated, as a matter of fact.  
  
"A wonderful heroine you are. Positively incredible." His words were not meant in kindness. "Alice was never this much trouble."  
  
Faith looked up again, anger merging with the tears in her eyes. "What this time, Cheshire? Another flaw, another fault to deal with? Or is it that you're so wrapped up in your perfectly wonderful country that you forget the person that you ever so kindly volunteered to help?"  
  
Cat stared, shocked. Then, a horrible thing happened. His shoulders slumped, his head drooped, and a huge melancholy seemed to settle over him. "Then... I suppose that you are not what we all thought you to be."  
  
Faith's head shot up. "What?"  
  
"Maybe... we saved the wrong one."  
  
"...Saved...?"  
  
"Yes, Faith. It was a miracle that anyone survived that fire. We thought that you were the right one."  
  
"But... I thought..."  
  
"That Jeremy couldn't? He could have, if you had died instead of him. But no matter what we did, one of you would have died. It was all a matter of choice."  
  
"Why was my house burned down at all?" her voice took on a hard tone.  
  
"If you were wracked by guilt and despair, think of how easy it would be to take over. It is not the only thing the Queen could have done. If you're dead, then she may tweak the balance of things again and get some child that would side with her instead of us."  
  
"So... I've failed you, and we haven't even begun."  
  
"Not precisely. You can still make amends."  
  
As she walked, Faith noticed just how different this part of Wonderland was. Everything was grey and muted... there was nothing there that suggested that there had ever been any colour there at all. The buildings were old and rickety, and she knew that they were lucky that they had not collapsed onto the people who lived inside of them. She had gotten out of that tunnel after her talk with Cat, and had been lucky, having met no guards on her way.  
  
When she was about halfway through the gate, a strange voice from behind her said, "C'mon Faith, use your eyes!"  
  
She turned, and thought that she saw Jeremy turning away, only to vanish before her eyes. Before he was completely gone, however, he turned, and though his face was serious, he winked and whispered, "Good luck," before going completely.  
  
She began looking around.  
  
"Need an 'and?" Another voice asked.  
  
"What?" Faith asked.  
  
"Are ye lookin' fer somethin'?" She turned to find a young man standing before her. He was grimy, and his dark hair was greasy, having been ignored for quite some time. His eyes were golden brown though, and completely alert.  
  
"Um, not really... I don't really know what it is that I'm looking for."  
  
"I see. So, right, 'oo are ye?"  
  
"I'm... I'm Mara," she said, nearly forgetting.  
  
"Okay. I'm Del th' son, right? Short for Delaney, but don't ye go airin' that out in public."  
  
"Alright. So, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm 'elpin' ter rebuild Alice's Village, or, wot we affectionately call 'The Village of the Damned'."  
  
"I've seen it."  
  
"I know. No bloke comes outta there unscarred and I spot that in yer face," he replied.  
  
"I saw someone else carting wood and nails," she said suddenly. "What are you carrying?"  
  
"Pitch and tiles. Me Da's in th' mine. My sist'r 's choppin'. Do yer do an'thin'?"  
  
"I... I'm a messenger. I'm going with a list of what they should prepare."  
  
"I see," he said, rather sceptically. "Now, right, could ye tell them ta get the glass for windows ready for me next round, then, eh? It'd 'elp greatly."  
  
"Sure," she said, fidgeting nervously. She didn't like lying, and it seemed to be all she did nowadays. He was watching her closely, she realised. Awkwardly she asked, "Is there anything else, or is that it?"  
  
"Ah, that's all there is, thankee kindly."  
  
"Um, sir?"  
  
"Call me Del."  
  
"Del. Do you think that Faith is coming?"  
  
"I believe 'n wot I can see, and when I see 'er I'll believe tha' she's 'ere." He turned to leave, but he called out, "An' good luck to ye on whatev'r it is you be doing."  
  
She knew that Cat would be more than a little displeased that she had spoken to yet another stranger, but she needed help and practical advice. First Morag, then Del, then... what was it... Timbre, a girl about her age, who had given her advice on the best route to take; where she wouldn't encounter many nosy soldiers. Also she had given her advice on practical matters as well.  
  
"Dementia, tha's our city... it's mostly an indoor village, since we're a minin' tahn, but we'd begun ta branch out and start life outside before the Queen attacked us."  
  
"That's where most of the miners are though, right? Inside?"  
  
"Yep. Ye'll probably need yor identification ter get inside though, so I'd keep it 'andy."  
  
"...Identification?" Faith asked, bewildered. Timbre nodded. Faith bit her lower lip and murmured, "I don't have any..."  
  
"Ye don't 'ave identification? That's bad, Mara. Ye need i'n some places."  
  
"Really? Where?"  
  
"Checkpoints n' the like. Usually, they'll take yer word as ta who ye are, but nowadays, with evry sold'er on the lookout for Faith, ye'll need it, jus' ta prove tha' ye aren't 'er." Her grey eyes were full of concern. She pushed a strand of dark blonde hair out of her face, and peered into Faith's own. "All I really can tell ye though, is ta keep out of trouble- don't make a stir anywhere."  
  
"Why not? What'll happen?"  
  
"Most anyone 'round here'll beg you not ter make trouble. That'll brin' the Queen's guards into it, and they're... ruthless. They've killed more people 'ere than age, famine and disease put together," she pleaded. Faith changed the subject, knowing that Timbre was beginning to catch on.  
  
"So what is it with Faith? I mean, some people talk about her like she's the Second Coming, and others seem to think that she's almost the Devil incarnate? Why?"  
  
"Because of Alice," was the simple reply. "Alice is pretty much our god, and ta us, Faith is the Second Comin'."  
  
Faith felt her heart stop. She discreetly pounded her chest to start it up again.  
  
"Are ye okay? Ye 'ave a look as though we'd just told ye that ye were the Second Comin'!" Timbre examined her face closely. "Ye look a wee like 'er- Alice."  
  
"I don't know what she looked like," Faith admitted.  
  
"Dark 'air, pale... though 'er eyes were green. Yers are more blue... they're almost black, for that matter."  
  
"Well, I'm not Faith," she said softly.  
  
"I think that ye 'ate 'er," Timbre said suddenly. "Why?"  
  
"She waited too long. She could have come here so long ago... instead she chose to wait on earth, crying tears without meaning."  
  
"So ye're one of the bitter ones," Timbre said knowingly.  
  
"No," she almost said. "I am the bitter one." But she knew that she would have to begin anew. She was no longer Faith, but Mara, and Mara was not afraid. 


	8. Chapter 8

Mara  
  
Mara continued searching for something, although she didn't know exactly what. Timbre had given her something of value, in addition to the herbs Morag had given her. It was a small blue jewel, nothing more, but it flashed red when danger - or any foe - was near. She strung it on the leather cord around her neck and pulled her hair through the loop. And as she did so, the tiny gem flashed.  
  
She peered into the distance all around, and finally spotted one of the flat card guards, a club across a grey, charred field. It was headed towards her, slowly, but purposefully. She needed to find something to defend herself with. Her eyes fell on an old knife, half-buried in the dirt. It was hardly the weapon she would have chosen; matter of fact she would have loved a long-range bazooka or something so she'd never have to get close to it, but it would have to do. She bent down and picked it up, hiding it behind her back.  
  
The soldier reached her, and Mara got her first good look at him, discovering him to be a five. A large, bulbous nose was set in the middle of his fat, puglike face, and tiny beady eyes leered down at her from under boorishly thick brows. His stance was alert, but very clumsy. His voice was strange, his speech uneducated.  
  
"Whut in th'hell yo' doin' hyar? This hyar is a restricked area!" She found his garbled speech rather hard to make out.  
  
"I'm walking, sir," she replied. "I was not aware of any restrictions that have been placed on this vicinity as of late."  
  
He scratched his head for a moment, not quite sure of what to make of her. That sentence was a little long; and a bit wordy, he thought, but there was no way he was going to ask her what she meant by that.  
  
"As ah said befo'e, this hyar is a restricked area," he said instead. "Yern't supposed t'be hyar."  
  
"Was there a barrier? I don't believe that I remember passing one," she lied. The two lizards were probably meant to be this so-called barrier.  
  
He roughly prodded her with his spear, and she moved back, somewhat out of reach. "Whut in hell's thet behind yer back?" he asked sharply.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
He made to grab her, but she twisted away, setting him off-balance. The knife flashed in the dim light, and he saw. He glared up at her, menace in his eyes. "Yo''re her. Yo''re Faif," he growled, and lunged.  
  
The blade of the knife flashed as she brought it up to catch him roughly in the throat. Blood spilled out of his throat in scarlet rivulets, contrasting starkly with his black and white body. He made a raspy, gurgling sound and collapsed. She stared at his body for a long time, shocked at what she'd just done. She had just taken a life. She looked away, wanting to leave, but something in the back of her brain stayed, and relished it. Defeating one foe was one less foe on your path to the Queen, it told her firmly. She shook her head, hoping that more killing wouldn't be necessary.  
  
She stared at the knife in her hand. Blood, red blood stained the handle. Red blood like hers. Blood that wouldn't ever run in his veins again. It was on her hand, too. She would have to clean it off. Numbed, almost mechanically, she checked his pockets for anything that would help her. She found money and a rag, which she used to wipe off the blade, and she doused her hand in water from a small canteen. Finally, she turned on her heel and left, heading purposely towards Dementia. She had more to do there.  
  
She stood at the entrance to a mine. From what Timbre had told her before their conversation had come to identification and Alice, the mine led to people who could help her get to "Del the Father," or so he was called. Del the son had told her that his father was in the mine. So now here she was. She had told the glass people to lay out the glass that he had needed and then had asked several people for directions. Several, because those that actually knew the location did not want to say. She had finally forced it out of a woman, though it had taken a good ten minutes of repeatedly asking, nagging, and following her around. Then she had the maze of streets and rubble to contend with. Ironically, her rescuer was a guard with a group of prisoners, rebels, by the looks of them.  
  
She had followed them as far as she dared, and stopped at a ramshackle fruit stall to ask around about Del the elder.  
  
"He were taken prisoner 'bout a year ago for plottin' ta kill the Queen. 'e would 'ave been put ta deaff, see, but the Queen 'ad just conquered the Woods, and were darn tootin' 'appy. So 'e got ta work in the mines instead of die," the shopkeeper said, laying out bruised apples with great care.  
  
"Most blokes would 'ave preferred deaff over the mines, right, but 'e's waitin'." Another woman interjected.  
  
"Yeah, for Faiff," the shopkeeper agreed solemnly.  
  
"So he was willing to prolong his torture for the possibility of rescue?" Mara asked.  
  
"Pretty much," the woman said. "Alffough 'e never quite said why ter any bloke 'ere."  
  
"Maybe it was because he feels that he still has a part to play, for when she comes," she said quietly. The women nodded. "What do you think about it?"  
  
"I fink that if Faiff is comin', right, she needs ta get 'er arse movin'," the shopkeeper said.  
  
"I don't right believe that she will," the woman said uncomfortably. "I mean, last I 'eard she were a paffetic wreck."  
  
She had the pendant in her hand again. She knew because she was staring at it, as she had earlier that day, but she didn't really see it. It seemed so long ago. Before her innocence was totally lost and she had killed. Looking at it one more time, she put it in the front pocket of her dress and pulled out the blade. It had strange symbols carved onto the gleaming blade; runes of a sort that she did not understand.  
  
She only stopped looking when a guard pushed her roughly aside, shouting at the populace to make way for a caravan. It was huge, drawn by slaves, it seemed. They grunted and strained and cried for mercy, and the sweat streaming down would have made them slip on the ropes that bound them to the caravan, at least if the ropes hadn't been clamped to their bodies. Inside was a woman whose face Mara could not see. Yet the face turned to her and she felt a shock of pain, like electricity, running through her veins, centring in her heart. She fell and watched from her place on the ground.  
  
It took her a moment to notice that she was the only one on the street. Everyone else had scurried away or was hiding in fear. The guards were laughing at them. She felt her anger rise at such blatant displays of contempt, and saw a guard shove a child into the way of the wheels, watching her get crushed for sport. At this Faith stood and stared boldly at the caravan, hatred in her face, and ignored the guards' surprised and outraged gasps. She felt cruel amusement radiating from the caravan, and a bolt of black light surged out, pummelling the old woman's fruit stand. The old woman's blood sprayed out at the wall behind her, and Mara heard a young woman screaming for her mother.  
  
Her eyes closed in self-loathing and fury at her ignorance; that damned thing that had got the woman killed. She glanced at the fruit stall once, unable to even see, or get near because of all the guards that still swarmed, and turned into the unwelcome darkness of Dementia and the mines.  
  
Mara reached the village in short order and immediately was acutely aware of the emptiness of the place as she wandered around. There was another home, belonging to another mayor, but he stepped out, and upon seeing her gasped and ducked back inside. A little confused, she stared after him, but shrugged and continued. The halls were dimly lit with lanterns strung every twenty something feet, casting a dim yellow light on the red wood, and she trailed her right hand lightly on the wall to keep some idea of where she was going. There were several twists and turns, and several pools of acid underneath the boardwalks, and she had to move carefully to avoid them. At one point, she thought she saw Cat's leering grin in a dark corner, but it was gone so suddenly that she really couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, she heard his voice. "With a weapon you must be ever vigilant of enemies. Take only what you need and be not bothered with mere trivialities. Keep a sharp lookout and you may survive." She turned aro und, half expecting to see him, half not. She was half disappointed when she didn't and turned back to her path.  
  
Then she came to a small lake with a single steam vent in the centre. She paused to think. It was then that Cat appeared fully. "An old philosopher here once believed that all things, regardless of wings, could fly. He was wrong and nose-dived to his death. With these, however, you can prove his theory true." He grinned at her again and vanished, until only his smile remained. It winked out seconds later and she stamped her foot in frustration, until she finally turned to it and took off at a running leap.  
  
The steam caught her dress and floated her across effortlessly. Her landing was a little less graceful though, and she stumbled before finally landing on her already bruised derriere. A loud curse surged to her lips, but she clamped a hand over her mouth, and stood up. She kept her hand where it was, mostly because she was convinced that she would break out in cursing again as her limbs ached in protest against any movement she made.  
  
Suddenly Rabbit appeared. "Please, Faith, don't dawdle!! We are very late, ohhh VERY late indeed!" With that, he turned and jumped into his rabbit hole. She followed close as she could until finding that she would have to be less than a foot, at the tallest.  
  
Cat appeared. "Rabbit is a good guide- he knows Wonderland like the back of his paw. Alas, you're too big for his small hole. You shall have to grow minute yourself."  
  
She groaned and continued on her way, following the path until she came to a narrow boardwalk that formed three ramps up, and she walked up, her behind and feet protesting every move she made. She hesitated when she got to the top- all was quiet, almost too quiet. She looked up a little, and saw a home that belonged to the new mayor of the town, cloistered safely between a two-story building and a "Magical Mushroom Shoppe". She walked up to it and knocked softly.  
  
The door opened a crack, and an old dwarf's face appeared on the other side. "Excuse me," she said quietly, "but I was wondering - where are the mines from here?"  
  
He peered at her curiously and made a rude gesture with his hand. She gasped in fury and he withdrew, but nevertheless pointed down to a small entrance way down. She nodded in curt thanks and made another rude gesture behind her back, before the old dwarf could shut his door. This time it was his turn to gasp in anger and he pulled his door shut.  
  
At that moment, she heard loud footsteps coming down the way he had just pointed, and she saw a club guard running toward her, his club-shaped spear held at a clumsy excuse for ready. She smirked. This one was more inept than the first. At least he had known how to hold a spear.  
  
He brought his down, and she sidestepped it, backing up when he swung in her direction. For a few minutes all she did was evade his spear, until he was exhausted. Then she killed him.  
  
She barely had time to think when another guard hurried out, swearing liberally. A strong throw of the knife was all it took to kill him, and she strolled over, checking pockets. Once more, money, a rag, and a letter. With the other guard was a bottle of liquor and a rag that had never been used. She smiled at this and tucked the two items into her sleeve, and walked down to the passageway. 


	9. Chapter 9

Her eyes watered at a pungent smell that wafted down the narrow corridor. She soon found out what it was when she turned the corner and was stopped short by several pools of acid with a single rope hanging from the ceiling in the centre of each. At the corner, she noticed some tabulated results that kept what the guards jokingly referred to as the 'skor.' Survivors: 105; Deaths: 1,052. She winced at the odds.  
  
After taking a few practice jumps, she finally took the running leap at the rope, and didn't have time to congratulate herself for catching it before she had let go and landed at a crouch and sprung again, cleanly from the knees. Something that Jeremy had always laughed - landcrouchspring - at her about when they - landcrouchspring - had played Tarzan and Jane as kids - landcrouchspring. She repeated it several times without a single thought passing through her head. So that was what it felt like to be an athlete, she thought wryly.  
  
She landed and instinctively rolled to keep bones from breaking, and jumped up. After about a mile, she came to a huge cavern, with apparently no way to get across but about four, foot-wide, forty-foot high columns dotted about. On this scorecard was written Survivors: 79; Deaths: 26. This one was apparently easier. But how?  
  
Once again, she took a running leap, but tripped and fell short. A strong gust of air suddenly caught her skirt and lifted her up. She stayed there for a moment, and used the occasional gusts to get her through to the next. There was a point where there wasn't any air a short way off, and she realized that if she had not tripped, she would have been victim #27. But she did a somersault the way that Jeremy had taught her and passed by with some ease.  
  
Nonetheless, she was relieved to reach the other side. Then it was a long, long walk to Del the elder. She was reassured when she saw the first person there. It was a man who seemed to be in his early to late forties, and he was busily chipping away at the stone. A short while later she came upon a woman. She was ancient, and weak. She fell several times under the load that she bore, and sweat poured down her face. She glanced darkly at Mara's healthy appearance and ignored her. Mara encountered that reaction many times as she continued her search for Del.  
  
As she searched, she heard a rather dry chuckle from behind her. She turned around and saw a frail old man sitting, sorting rocks. Only his focus was not on his work. It was on her, and she recognized Del the son's piercing eyes. She walked towards him, and stopped just short of the pile that he was working on.  
  
"You've been looking for me, I see," he cackled. He was blind one eye.  
  
"Yes," she whispered. Her throat was dry and the tight atmosphere of the tunnel did nothing for her.  
  
"Well? Who sent you? I need to know if I'm helping the right side."  
  
"I was sent by the Cheshire Cat. I need-"  
  
"Hold it. I'm not quite so interested in helping you yet. But I'll tell you what. Since you say that Cat sent you, I'll make you a deal."  
  
Mara hesitated. "Shoot," she finally said.  
  
"If you do something small for me, I'll help you. There is a pendant that I need. However, the guards took it, and as I'm chained here, I can't really do much. So you get pendant, you get help."  
  
Mara nodded. "Where is it?" she asked. He pointed to a mine cart.  
  
"Pretty straightforward. Ride that down and get it. It'll be in plain sight, I should think."  
  
The mine cart was a rickety thing that didn't look like it would hold a pebble, much less a person, without breaking. She held her breath and jumped in.  
  
The speed of the cart pressed her far into the back, and the bumps and curves left her even more bruised and aching, while falling rocks elevated her heart rate to almost unbearable speeds. But it was not long at all until she saw the end a ways away. Realising that she would be smashed to smithereens if she did not get out now, she took a breath and jumped. It was a good thing that she did, because the cart splintered and shattered as it hit the barrier. She, meanwhile, got off with nothing more than a few more bruises and scrapes.  
  
She dusted herself off and stood. There were two tunnels branching off in either direction. They abruptly branched off and Mara could not see where they led.  
  
"Ride down and get it. It'll be in plain sight, he says," she muttered as she tried to peer down a tunnel. But she could only do that if she was all of the way inside, and she did not trust them. Finally, she walked over to the remains of the mine cart and took a piece of wood. It crumbled in her hand instantly. Impatiently she threw it away, and tried for a rod of metal. She tested it out by pushing with all her might against a rock wall. It bent into an accordion-like thing and broke in half. Finally, having run out of options, she grabbed a wheel and headed to the tunnel's entrance.  
  
Placing the wheel endwise on the ground, she stepped through the entrance. A door came down abruptly from the top of the tunnel, but the wheel held, keeping the door eight inches from the ground. She rolled away, and sat up. It was with relief that she saw the wheel holding firm.  
  
Cautiously, she skirted the edge of the tunnel, watching for more of those peculiar guards, her knife out and waiting. As she walked, she checked for signs of danger, and as she continued deeper into the tunnel, it got steadily brighter and louder. Louder?  
  
It seemed to be a mix of men and running water, which grew steadily more violent as she progressed. At the tunnel's end, there was a tall, wide door. There was an argument going on, behind it, it seemed. As she reached for the doorknob, something glittering caught her eye, and she reached for it. Abruptly, there was a crash against the door, as if someone had been thrown into it, and she rushed back against the wall, waiting for anyone to come out.  
  
No one came.  
  
Cautiously, she bent down to take the glittering object, tensed and ready to fight or run. When she first took the pendant, however, there was no need to do either. At just that moment, however, something jumped down from above.  
  
It was a strange type of spider, with a china doll's head. "Ohh, okay. Um, hi little fellow, what are you?"  
  
It spoke, so softly that she couldn't hear. So she told it to speak a little louder. Instead, it climbed up onto a large rock beside her and whispered, "I'm a nightmare spider," and swiftly slashed her arm with its front leg. Too late Mara noticed that it was a syringe. Faith reeled, and struggled to stand. She was feeling upside-down, and couldn't see straight. Mara clutched her head with one hand and staggered away from the spider, her other groping for the knife. Faith's hand hit the sharp blade, and it cut the back of her hand. She didn't even notice. They drew it out and sliced air. Up. Down. Which was which? A spider dropped down behind her. Faith sliced it, but the knife passed through harmlessly. They turned, with effort, to the real one... or was it? There were spiders closing in all around- they sliced at them several times, but the blade passed harmlessly through each.  
  
Slowly they advanced. Through the haze she noticed that there was one who wasn't moving, wasn't going anywhere. She drew her hand back and threw the knife.  
  
The spider was plastered to the wall and all that was left was a murky haze. The pendant was clasped safely in her hand... she went slowly to get her knife - it felt as though she were walking through a thick vat of peanut butter. Her head moved from side to side as she waited. She had forgotten that she was supposed to help Del. She forgot about Rabbit, the fruit woman, the manor. The asylum.  
  
As she stood there, new thoughts entered her mind. Thoughts that could have proved dangerous. She forgot what was behind the door, and wanted to peek in and see. But when she turned to it, it wasn't there. She giggled at this strange turn of events and sat down heavily, feeling suddenly as though she weighed a thousand pounds. She peered back over at the spider and felt sickened by what was happening. What was happening? The door was looking like that pole that had bent, like an accordion. She reached towards it.  
  
"Faith, what are you doing?" She remembered that voice.  
  
"I'm not Faith. I'm Mara. Faith isn't me," she babbled. She realised at that point that no one there seemed to call her 'Mara' unless other people were there.  
  
"Aw, c'mon Faith. Get with the program. You have some saving to do."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Yes, of course you do! Y'know, you have to get the bad guys - demonstrate that slashing blow, the whole bit." As Jeremy spoke and grew clearer, he picked up her knife and demonstrated, his face ever cheerful, his voice always teasing.  
  
"Yes, that's right," she murmured. "I do, don't I?"  
  
Jeremy nodded and walked over. Grinning, he handed her the knife and winked. She gave him kind of a half-smile back, and took the knife, her purpose infinitely clearer. She had to save Wonderland. And up was up, down was down. And Wonderland was in trouble.  
  
A guard flying through-literally-the door interrupted her thoughts. He stood up, and she saw that he was not a club, but a diamond. He was definitely drunk. Slowly, she backed away, waiting for him to do or say something. When he did, it was the last thing that she wanted to hear: "WE GOT COMPENNY!!!"  
  
Mara turned and ran, hearing the sound of fast-moving projectiles following her, along with the sounds of running feet. She quickly drew out her knife and whirled around mid-stride, twice slashing the guard closest to her.  
  
A few guards halted in surprise, watching the four pieces of their comrade float slowly down, to land in a careless pile on the path in front of them.  
  
Mara, meanwhile, had used that opportunity to pull ahead in front of them, looking behind her every so often to see if they were following too close. If they were then she would slash again, but if not, she would try to run faster. Once or twice she had to dodge when diamond-shaped projectiles sped towards her. One cut her arm and she cried out in surprise. She was immensely relieved when the door came into view, but she heard the sounds of the guards gaining on her. The wheel was buckling. She gained another few feet. The guards were gaining again.  
  
She dived through the opening, just as the wheel gave entirely and the door crashed down, cutting off the soldiers. 


	10. Chapter 10

Halden remembered the first time he had met Doctor Marcus Levan and had seen his daughter, Emelia. He'd met the Doctor while interning at Rutledge, several years ago. Many patients had been let go while Marcus was head, thanks to both him and his staff of capable, kind psychologists. He chuckled, remembering how much he had idolised them - how badly he had wanted Levan to accept him, and he tried hard, studying more than anyone else and accompanying many doctors to sessions in his spare time, until finally, he had gotten Levan's attention. Only, it wasn't the type he'd expected. One day, the doctor had led him to a room that Halden had never seen before.  
  
He had been asked to name several items, which he did with ease. Then, he was asked to name several techniques, which he did. Marcus had gazed at him, contemplating something, which turned out to be him. "Now, James," he said, in his quiet way. "Why do you try so hard?"  
  
Halden had been at a loss for words. "What do you mean?" he'd asked, when he found his voice.  
  
"What I mean is, that when I did this test with the other interns, they did well, but they didn't answer every question correctly, at the drop of a hat."  
  
"I only want to do well," he said softly. He knew at this point that anything he said would probably make Marcus displeased, but instead, he looked Halden straight in the eye, and asked him, in no uncertain terms, if that was it.  
  
Halden had buckled, and he found himself confessing this strange drive he had, this mocking voice that drove him constantly to succeed. It seemed to come from this... cat, he said, that was always grinning at him and tormenting him. Marcus had smiled at him, not as though he were condescending to the insane, but as though he had just confirmed a theory.  
  
"Pardon me, sir, but... why do you ask?" Halden finally blurted out.  
  
"You talk in your sleep, James," Levan had smiled. Halden had blushed, very badly.  
  
"Y'know, Halden, I believe that there is this... drive in every human, this need to achieve and succeed. Some people get lucky with encouraging... 'inner voices,' while some, like you, get something akin to the grinning cat." He laid a hand on Halden's shoulder and smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard, son. You're doing great as it is, I saw that in your grades before the internship was even announced."  
  
Halden smiled, nodded, and turned to go. "Halden," Levan said suddenly. He turned back, his intelligent blue eyes questioning, friendly. "If you ever want to talk to anyone, that door is always open to you."  
  
He and Levan had grown to be close- practically father and son. Unbeknownst to Halden, Levan had included him in his will, and had, after repeated warnings, finally took the bulk of the share away from Emelia, his own daughter, and put it into Halden's. He hadn't been able to help that, as his old friend was dead when he'd found out.  
  
He shook himself out of his musings, and concentrated on his journal, which he was very behind on, listening to his recording of a particular session.  
  
'I arrived one day, only to have a shoe thrown at me the moment I walked into the room. It connected with... areas I'd rather not remember at present. I almost made a hasty departure right then, but Faith instantly cried out, apologising profusely as she helped me to the bed, and sat on the floor while I recovered.  
  
I asked her why she had been armed, and I suppose that she could not help but giggle at the way my voice sounded (rather hoarse and a little higher than normal). Nevertheless, she explained:  
  
"Shortly before you arrived, Lucy was in here, cleaning up a little," at that point, I had to interrupt and ask who Lucy was. "She's one of the nicer nurses here in the asylum; Emelia is the meanest. Anyway, Lucy was cleaning up when Emelia stepped in."  
  
"What happened then?" I asked.  
  
"Well, I told Emelia that I didn't want her in there, but she laughed at me, asking me if I really knew if that was what I wanted. I told her yes, I knew perfectly well what I wanted concerning her and Reynald. She asked me what, and I told her that I wanted her and Reynald to leave and not ever bother me again."  
  
I smiled at that point.  
  
"She told me that I had a lot of wishful thinking, and she kind of smirked at me like this," Faith said, twisting up her face into a comical sneer. "Then I told her that I'd had over six years to do that, and she got really mad. I'm not really sure why."  
  
She shook her head a little. At that moment, a shy, pretty nurse walked in, smiling at us, with two nice lunches on trays. She apologised that we couldn't eat in better circumstances. Then Faith introduced us - this was apparently Lucy. She left, but on her way out, she gave Faith the stuffed bunny that she'd had with her when I first saw her.  
  
"Lucy picked up the rabbit so that she could sweep a little, and handed it to me. Just as I had it, though, Emelia snatched it away and laughed at me for having it. I told her that it was my brother's.  
  
'How quaint,' she said, and laughed. I grabbed at it, but she pulled it away from me, and a leg tore off," Faith said miserably. "She laughed at me and threw it on the floor, then stepped on it."  
  
Faith gave a somewhat derisive laugh at that point, for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of. "Then I tackled her. If she hadn't been wearing those shoes, she probably wouldn't have fallen. But she has these five-inch stilettos, and she wears micro-mini skirts a lot, so she didn't keep her balance. She got up, but I got both shoes and wouldn't give them back. When she left, I almost threw one at her. But anyway, Lucy took up the rabbit and told me she'd fix it. I thanked her and she was really happy."  
  
I remembered that Faith ignored many people there.  
  
"Then Reynald came in, and gave me this long lecture about respecting Emelia, and told me to give him the shoes. I ignored him, and he got really mad and started to leave. I suddenly shouted that he was a cur, and he turned around... the shoe hit him about where I got you," she confessed.  
  
I have to admit, even after that experience, I don't feel sorry for the man.'  
  
With that, he finished writing and took out a photograph of his wife, Jessica. He had to call her, but not now. Not quite yet, when he was still angry, with thoughts of Reynald in his mind.  
  
As Cat hunted around the town for Mara, he noticed a peculiar stir near the entrance of the mine. There were masses of people gathered around a fruit stall, and all were shouting and crying. Cat leisurely strolled over, surveying the goings-on, and finally asked a woman what had happened.  
  
"Well, there was this one girl, and she was walking around town asking where the mine was, and no one wanted to tell, for all the good reasons. You know, the Queen, her guards, the traps, all that."  
  
"No, I hadn't known," he said sarcastically. "What has happened here?"  
  
But the woman couldn't say. The best one to ask was the baker, who lived across the street and had seen everything.  
  
"Well, the young girl stopped to talk to the fruit woman, and when she was done, she checked a few things in her pocket."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And she was looking, and looking, and then she got bumped from behind and turned to look at what it was."  
  
Cat prayed that it wasn't what he had feared it to be.  
  
"It was the Queen's caravan, and you know how cranky the Queen gets when people dare look at her."  
  
Cat did know. Mara, not knowing what it was, had looked, and the Queen, to show her dominance, killed one of her acquaintances.  
  
"How are they all taking it?"  
  
"They're a little peeved at the girl, but Morag keeps saying that she's a foreigner and doesn't know all this."  
  
Cat could have hugged Morag at that moment.  
  
"Is anyone else broken?"  
  
"Nope, we're all fine. Her daughter's gonna need a few drugs, but other than that, she'll be okay."  
  
Cat nodded his thanks and walked to the entrance to the mine, where there was a surprisingly small crowd. He vanished to go find Mara, wherever she was in there. 


	11. Chapter 11

As it turned out, however, she was out of the mines and on her way to the Fortress of Doors. After getting the pendant and escaping the guards, she had found a tiny key that she had been able to use on the second tunnel, whose door had closed just before she had entered. Behind that door was a portal. She had entered, not knowing what to expect, and had found a long tunnel that branched upward.  
  
She found Rabbit waiting for her at the end. "You're LATE!!!" he snapped as soon as he saw her.  
  
"And..?"  
  
He glared at her.  
  
"Not as late as Cat, though. If he doesn't hurry up, I'll be the one to roast him!" he muttered, checking his pocket watch. He stamped his foot impatiently and turned around, only to find Cat's eternal grin awaiting him.  
  
"You're late, Rabbit," he smirked. Apparently he, or at least his grin, had been waiting the whole time.  
  
When Rabbit recovered from the shock, he stood up. "Well," he said, "not as late as this snail," with a careless wave in her direction.  
  
"I resent that remark!"  
  
"And I resemble it," came a high, slow voice from a rock nearby. A snail was there, glaring crankily at Rabbit.  
  
"Alright, Speedy," he said, annoyed. The snail thought for a moment, then glared at him.  
  
"At least I'm not the one who's in trouble," he sulked. The hungry Cat advanced on him, grinning.  
  
"Aren't you? You make quite the lovely supper for a hungry kitty cat."  
  
Terrified, the snail squeezed himself into his shell, not saying another word. Satisfied, Rabbit turned back to Mara, leaving Cat to his lunch, and appeared to be quite angry that she was still there. "Well!? Get going!"  
  
"Go, pet, and never take perceived reality for granted." Cat said between bites. She stared at him, but soon turned away as he dug in to his lunch with further gusto. He kept calling her that. She was a bit confused, but he offered no advice. Rabbit was tapping his foot against a rock.  
  
Finally, she blurted out, "How? Everything's mad!"  
  
"Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here."  
  
She found herself in a long, one-way stone corridor. Torches lined the walls, flickering wildly as she passed. Blue, green, yellow, and purple flames created a surreal effect on the grey stone walls and floor. She peered down - there was no end in sight. Where was she? Where was she supposed to go? She turned, and was surprised to see the back wall was still very close to her. Then she realised that it was moving towards her, and started running.  
  
"Cat!" she shrieked. There was nothing. The coward. Did he know what the hell was in there??? "Rabbit!" The pitch of her voice rose abruptly as the wall moved closer. It was so close now... she could hear stone scraping against stone now. "Anyone! Help!" she yelled.  
  
There was nothing. She ran, glancing back to see where it was, and sped up when she found it gaining still. Would the hall just keep going until she collapsed from exhaustion?  
  
She was horrified to find herself slowing, and the wall gaining. Soon, she stopped, too tired to keep running, and watched it approach. Faster and faster it went, until it was only a rapidly approaching blur. She shut her eyes and turned her head, hoping that she could avoid seeing the actual impact. Her eyes opened at the last second, and she was just in time to see the wall pass through her, turning the walls sepia and the flames to normal orange as it passed. She stared after it, disbelieving, and remembered Cat's advice.  
  
"Well..." she muttered. Then she got the feeling that perhaps Cat and Rabbit had seen the whole thing and were laughing at her. She was embarrassed enough, already. "Well, sod him, then," she muttered, and started walking back, wiping sweat out of her eyes.  
  
After walking for ten minutes, she had found nothing still. She was growing exhausted, and slapped the wall. The pain in her hand woke her up a little, but she only managed to walk another few steps before she had to stop for a breather. She started to lean against the wall, but fell through it instead, and hit the ground with a tiny shriek of surprise and an undignified "Umph!" Cautiously she stood, looking around again.  
  
This hall was made of white marble with limestone walls, and was lit by large, glowing jewels on the walls. She didn't care for it much; the entire thing was too strange for her. But when she made to exit the way she had come in, she turned directly into a solid wall. She walked up and down the hall for a moment, one hand gingerly rubbing her nose and the other hand trailing along the wall and felt her heart speeding up again. She became almost positive that she would die of cardiac arrest within the hour.  
  
Once again, she started walking, trailing both hands along the walls (it was a rather narrow corridor). A few times, she heard footsteps other than her own, and whirled around, looking for who they belonged to. Every time, she found no one. She continued , until the tunnel came to an abrupt end. She carefully felt it over with her hands, trying to see if it actually continued, but found that to be an incorrect assumption on her part.  
  
She turned back, and minutes later was greeted with a large, square hole - in a place where she had just walked, no less. She shook her head, sure it wasn't real, and started over it. She fell in, but as she fell, she saw a portal below, and instantly prayed that it was real, too. When she hit it, she felt her fall stop, and the colours swirled around her like a rainbow that had been thrown into a blender.  
  
When she fell out, she was in an unfamiliar area of the land; a building surrounded by a narrow walkway and around it a swirling, colourful void that twisted and turned in unknown directions. "That took much too long!" Rabbit snapped, and darted ahead before she could express what she thought of him at that moment. She got up and followed. Cat was strolling behind, casual as ever. Rabbit was several paces in front of her, always wanting to run, but seeing Cat he would get fidgety and wait. Then he would walk faster than both, and repeat.  
  
When at last they stopped, Cat sat down and waited for one of them to speak up. When Rabbit made no indication of speech, she piped up.  
  
"What do I do now?"  
  
"You go to the fortress, and then skool, of course."  
  
"Of course?"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"Naturally?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Enough!!! We're late enough already, and the two of you can't just sit there with your naturallys and of courses! We have to get this done!"  
  
"Of course, of course," Cat purred. Mara stared at him disbelievingly. Here was the one who constantly badgered her about rescuing this godforsaken place and here he was, just... she couldn't quite explain it to herself, not when she was so frustrated.  
  
"How will I get into the skool?"  
  
"The way-"  
  
"No time for your riddles! You get in through the fortress, then go through the window!" Rabbit shrieked. Cat glared at him, highly annoyed at being interrupted. Mara rolled her eyes.  
  
"And how am I to do that?" she asked sarcastically. "Climb?"  
  
She noticed an opening nearby, and walked over to it. When she turned back to Cat and Rabbit for help, though, they were gone. Irritated, she finally went in, fully expecting to see something jump out at her and attack.  
  
Instead, it was merely an empty tunnel. It appeared as though she could get to the fortress from there, but found that she was mistaken when a huge set of double doors slammed down. After she got out of the room, a sucking sound came from behind. She turned to see a large slimy tentacle protruding, not unfriendly, more uncaring. "...I guess not," she said to herself. Turning, she searched for another way through, and that was when she saw a doorway on the side. It was so... normal in the midst of this strange setting that she had to trust it. She opened it, and walked through.  
  
Del was waiting there. Instantly she held out the pendant, and he took it, nodding. "All right, then. What do you need?"  
  
"I need a potion that will make me small," she answered. She was so startled that she did not even bother to ask how he had managed to reach the fortress.  
  
"For what?" he asked.  
  
"For getting small. I need to follow Rabbit to somewhere I can't get to."  
  
"You're going to need a potion, then. But be warned that you're going to meet a lot of card guards on the way."  
  
Her mouth dropped open in surprise and some happiness. "Finally, someone's telling me something! And in plain English, no less."  
  
"Don't get used to it," he warned her. "I've been in the mines, so I don't know much of what's going on with Cat and Rabbit. What I do know, I'll tell you, but don't always take my word for it."  
  
They entered the room and she found herself looking for some sign of where to go. There were two corridors that branched off and she chose the left one and started walking. Del shrugged and followed. All the while, the two sought an entrance to the room beside them. She heard voices around the corner.  
  
"DAMMIT! There's-" but Mara clapped a hand over his mouth, and put a finger to her own.  
  
"Stay here," she whispered.  
  
"Those are probably card guards," he whispered back uncertainly.  
  
"Yeah, but they're easy." She peered around the corner, and her heart sank a little when she found not club guards, but diamonds. She took a few deep breaths and pulled out her knife. She took careful aim at a soldier and threw. It hit him in the back and he gasped in surprise. She had failed to consider what to do once she threw it, but to her surprise, she felt something in her hand again. When she saw what it was, the fact that it was her knife was rather surprising.  
  
Mara threw it again, at the same soldier. He cried out, but the blade connected with his skull, and he sank to the ground, dead. The other soldiers flew into a rage but she had counted on this and she and Del were already running to the other side. She walked out into the open area, looking for the others. They were checking where she and Del had been. She stood there, decidedly childlike, with a little girl's smile and wide, innocent eyes. The bloody knife was clasped behind her, and one of the guards started walking towards her, while his companions elbowed each other and laughed.  
  
They stopped laughing when he got too close and wound up with a long hole in his centre, blood flowing out in red streams. He stared down at it, shocked, and she attacked again, this time higher up. The knife carved a hole up to the base of his throat, and he fell to his knees. His head went flying, and Mara stepped across him, back to her original spot. Smiling, she cocked her head, asking, "Who's next?"  
  
They fell on her at once, and she jumped away. To her delight, she found that she could jump high and far, and she jumped again, throwing the knife as she went. When gravity took place, she kicked her legs forward and fell back. A load of the diamond projectiles flew at her, and she hit the ground and rolled. When they stopped, she jumped up again and attacked.  
  
Within minutes, the battle was over, and Mara hurried over to Del. "You all right?" He nodded, and they went to the entrance. Mara went in first.  
  
Something screamed, and she was immediately thrown back several feet. "What the hell was that?!" she yelped, sitting up. Del peeked in.  
  
"Boojum," he said casually, though he wrinkled his nose at the smell.  
  
"What's a Boojum?" she asked, rubbing her behind, which was already bruised enough; she was certain it would be bleeding within the next hour.  
  
"It steals souls," he said quietly. "That's what their scream does."  
  
"How can I kill them?"  
  
"I don't really know. We've never done it before," he confessed.  
  
"Well..." she hesitated. "It appears that I'm the first time for everything around here then," and stepped inside. She spent the next ten minutes avoiding their screams.  
  
It took her awhile, but finally she got close enough to one to slash at them. It screamed, and she went the only way she could to avoid it- forward, directly underneath. It screamed all around it, but she was untouched. Two more slashes and it vanished in a burst of flames. She assumed that this meant that it was dead, and made short work of the other one.  
  
She took a moment to survey the room, and called for Del. No answer. "Del!" She took a step and the floor started opening beneath her, revealing a swirling void underneath. She began to run. The floor continued opening, and she ran to a stairway in the corner of the room, almost hidden by an alcove. She made it up onto a tilting platform that raised and lowered on its own accord. She ran onto it and was immediately caught off-balance and thrown. The entire platform started sinking then, and she got up and sprinted to the end, where there was another. She jumped, and her fingers caught the edge, just as the other completely fell out of sight.  
  
Petrified, she stared down into the darkness, and finding a burst of adrenaline with her fear, pulled herself up. There was nothing in that place but a portal. She took a moment to rest and went over to it. 


	12. Chapter 12

The portal dumped her into an almost maze-like room. There was a single hall in the centre, but it branched off to eight separate hallways that all dead-ended. There were about eight club guards prowling the halls as well. She stopped at the entrance, and thought for a moment about Del. What had happened? He had been there one moment, but then he vanished... Had she gotten someone else killed, too?  
  
She stole along, and lured the first club guard to his doom. She checked his pockets for anything useful, something she hadn't had time to do again until now. She found a map and a little money, and a letter from the Red King.  
  
Soldier,  
  
You and your squad are to immediately drop any prior commitments and search for one called "Faith." She is an armed and highly dangerous rebel. As such, you are to deploy extra troops around Dementia and the Fortress. Perform well, and your troop shall receive honours. Perform poorly, and your troop shall be dead. Either by her or myself, this is not certain.  
  
The Red King  
  
"Whew..." she breathed. They thought she was dangerous. She turned back to the letter. Evidently this King wanted her as dead as the Queen did. "Well, he is her husband," she murmured, and folded the letter, slipping it and the rest of her findings into her sleeve. She had a second thought and pulled out the map. It was the fortress... and the guards' locations. That would really come in handy, she knew. Then again, she wasn't that great at maps, so perhaps if she met a rebel, she could give it to them. Maybe it would help somehow...  
  
She crossed the centre hall to the opposite side of the one she was in. Another guard saw her beckoning for him and, curious, went. None of the other guards heard the soft thump, thump of the halves hitting the ground. She paused, not certain how to get rid of the other two in that hall without attracting the unwanted attention of the others, least of all the centre hall's guard.  
  
After a moment of deliberation, she allowed a little of herself to be seen. The centre guard was suspicious, and sent two of the others to investigate. She killed the first on the spot and lured the second a little further before giving him three quick slashes across the chest. He collapsed forwards, and she had to stifle her disgust as she pushed the corpse off. That gave her an idea.  
  
Holding the body of a guard in front of her, she leaned it against the wall and clasped the back of his head with her right hand. With her left, she controlled his arm.  
  
The centre guard looked up just in time to see one of his guards nodding and beckoning to him for assistance. Impatiently he stalked forwards, and was met with Mara's knife across his neck.  
  
Making quick work of them was easy, and she even had time to check several more pockets. More money, another map, and a flask. After smelling its contents, she concluded that it was a liquor of some sort. This too went into her sleeve. Calmly, she walked down the hall to the door, and found a portal. She walked through.  
  
Almost immediately she found herself running, finding herself in another void. There were no tilting platforms in here, however. Instead, she was hard-pressed to keep up with four jigsaw pieces that constantly built themselves into a moving path. They moved at almost breakneck speed, but once Mara ran too fast, and barely caught onto one. She pulled herself up and sprinted to keep up with the first, which seemed much farther away than only one or two pieces off. She nearly flew off the side at an unexpected turn, but Cat appeared abruptly and bounced her back on track, vanishing immediately after.  
  
As she reached the end a Boojum appeared just in front of the portal. It opened its mouth to scream but she ploughed underneath it and fell through the portal.  
  
A tune played once, and she was hard-pressed to remember it when she saw the keyboard. She shook her head in disbelief. "Can I hear that again?" she called, to no one in particular. Silence.  
  
She rested her cheek on her hand and sat down, trying to remember the tune. She practice-hummed it a few times, but didn't feel terribly confident. She checked the keyboard, and played a few scales on it. It was in a very strange key, she thought, and started picking out the melody.  
  
G sharp, A, C sharp, down an octave, G sharp, A, and finally D sharp. No result, except a "ding!" that seemed to say that she got it right. "Cat!" She shouted, and was, for once, relieved to see his face. "What am I supposed to do now?"  
  
"Self-reliance is a virtue. You should try it," he said in a lightly scolding voice, but all the while, his tail pointed in three directions: down, back, and at her. Confused, she walked forward to the edge of the platform. Three club guards patrolled on a platform below, and Mara grinned. It could be so easy just to take them out from right there...  
  
She threw the knife three times, and they were dead. She smiled and wiped off her blade.  
  
"Lovely aim," Cat said, with his ever-present grin. "Tell me, do you enjoy killing them?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"How much do you want to hit them when you throw that knife? Do you really care either way, or does your heart give a leap whenever it connects?"  
  
"I dunno. I never really thought about it," she admitted, finishing with the rag.  
  
There was silence for a moment. "Faith-"  
  
"Mara, Cat."  
  
Cat studied her for a moment. "Don't you think that using a new name is just another way to run from reality?"  
  
She turned to Cat, knowing that he was right, but not wanting to admit it. "Why do you say that?"  
  
"Never mind. I am not the one to have this discussion with."  
  
She was silent for a little while longer, but he did not speak, except to tell her, in the words of Rabbit, to get going. She nodded and sighed, and jumped into the expanse of the void.  
  
Cat jumped up to see if she was gone forever, and saw her walking back on the puzzle pieces, which followed her every step. He laughed to himself. She was a little more full of surprises than she had previously let on- he'd thought that she would be asking him how to get down.  
  
She let them build, at her pace, this time leading her to a new platform with stairs leading to a single portal. She turned over to Cat, and was just in time to see his smile wink out. She paused momentarily, trying to get her bearing, and wondered what she would meet next.  
  
She sprinted up the stairs and turned to survey the room around her. When she saw the mural, she froze. There were Cat, Rabbit, and a Gryphon, and they all were in the midst of a ferocious battle against the card guards. But they weren't diamonds and clubs - they were hearts and spades... and chess pieces. She hesitated before turning around and going through the door.  
  
She ended up at the top of the castle wall, just above the window to the skool. She laughed to herself, knowing that once she got in, it would get even harder, yet knowing that she was a hell of a lot more prepared than before. She grimaced. The card guards were more annoying than anything else, she thought. They can't even aim right. She walked to the wall and balanced on it for a moment, watching the sunset. It felt strangely peaceful, after all she had done so far, and she knew that from here on in, she would be lucky just to see another sunset again. She laughed suddenly, realising that she had spent less than twenty-four hours there so far and had already... ah well.  
  
She scanned the area below for the window, but didn't find it. It was on the other side, she remembered. She hopped off the wall, and started over, and was highly irritated when two Boojum started flying towards her. She rolled her eyes and jumped, swinging herself through the window before they could reach her. 


	13. Chapter 13

Once again Halden stood at the entrance to Rutledge, though it was for an entirely different reason this time. He needed to get to Faith's cell, and check the journal... he wasn't quite sure what for yet, but he was still certain that he needed to find it.  
  
When he had come, Rutledge had seemed so different than the first time he had been there. It was dark, threatening. The first time he had been there, a few years before Reynald had come to management, it had been quiet, happy. The inmates had been happy.  
  
He realised that he had seen Faith before, as a ten-year-old, a few years before his friend and mentor, Doctor Marcus, had passed away in a horrible train accident. She had seemed empty as ever, but at the same time, been content, and had liked Marcus. He had a way with children, Halden remembered.  
  
Footsteps came from behind him, brisk and heavy. He turned around, and saw Reynald, and couldn't help the flash of red anger that appeared before his eyes. Reynald was another reason that he was here. Reynald needed some talking to.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Reynald asked, sneering.  
  
"I came to collect a few articles," he replied coldly. "There are a few things that belong to me that are still in Faith's cell."  
  
Reynald sneered in disgust. "Very well," he conceded, after several moments of thought, and walked in, not caring whether Halden followed or not.  
  
A nurse, Emelia, watched him as he entered the asylum, and snapped at Lucy to finish their chores. Lucy protested, saying that she had her own chores to do, but she glared at her and told her to get her arse moving then. Defeated, Lucy nodded, and Emelia strolled out of the nurse's quarters, checking her face and figure in the mirror before she went. She glanced back once at Lucy, and muttered, "Lazy little bitch," before walking down the hall, her five-inch stiletto heels not hindering her progress one bit.  
  
Once inside, the man walked quickly to Faith's cell, she noted with disgust, and threw open the door. Everything was there, she knew- nothing had been touched. He left his briefcase in the centre of the doorway and walked inside. The stuffed rabbit was in the centre of the room, on its stomach. The bed was unmade, the torn sheet thrown back all the way. The raven was at the window, watching him warily. She came in, smiling pleasantly at him.  
  
"That old raven hasn't moved an inch since Faith vanished," she drawled, flicking her pale blonde hair behind her shoulders and out of her crystal blue eyes. He turned, looking at her sceptically.  
  
"Were you Faith's nurse?" he asked.  
  
"In a manner of speaking- I was her substitute," she explained with a slight grimace. "What about the little rat? Probably came from the gutter- doesn't know Versace from Sears."  
  
"I see," he said after a moment, and resumed his perusal of the room. Curious, she asked what he was looking for. He turned to her in obvious annoyance and coolly said, "For a few simple items that I need."  
  
All she could do was nod. No one, especially a man, had spoken to her like that in her life. Brushing it off she laughed lightly and said, "My apologies, sir, I was thinking that maybe you wanted to be told a little about Faith."  
  
"I was her psychologist," he returned, gazing at the tiny wardrobe. Faith's dress was there, purple and small. It would have been a little large for a nine-year-old, and he remembered that Faith had maybe -maybe- grown three inches, making her height, as she put it, a "measly five feet tall." There was also her big blue sweater there. To his irritation, the nurse showed no sign of leaving.  
  
"Y'know, it's kind of funny," she reminisced, "that the second time Faith actually took off that thing for something other than washing-time, and wore her uniform, she disappeared."  
  
Halden turned to her, and she used that opportunity to stretch luxuriously, giving him an ample view of her assets. She wasn't wearing a bra. He turned away in disgust.  
  
She smiled at him, he raised an eyebrow and wished that one of her skinny heels would catch on the floor and trip her.  
  
Finally, he caught sight of Alice's journal- half-hidden under the bed, and quickly reached to get it. Emelia, however, had a different plan in mind though, and stepped on it, just as his hand reached it. "Is that all you wanted?" she asked with a sexy pout. He nodded.  
  
"Yes, and would you mind moving your foot?"  
  
"Oh, but I wasn't aware that it was in the way of anything," she said innocently. He rolled his eyes and sighed.  
  
"Then maybe you either need contacts, or better ones, because you're standing on something I need."  
  
"Oh, you're no fun, baby," she purred, watching him. He grimaced much more pronouncedly this time.  
  
"Well, sorry, but I happen to be married... baby." The last word he practically spat out. "Now please. Either you move your foot or I move it for you, and you won't like how." She watched him warily.  
  
"How would you do that?"  
  
"I would essentially yank it out from underneath your foot."  
  
"And if I fall..?"  
  
"Then don't count on being caught."  
  
Once again she frowned, but this one was much harder, and her voice was a hiss when she next spoke. "You know that everyone here thinks that you're insane, Doctor Halden." He raised an eyebrow, appearing startled, and she smiled, satisfied. "Oh yes, Mister Halden. We all know you. Every single nurse here. Besides, if you're not insane, how did the little brat respond to you? What evil acts did you perform that made her so scared she talked?"  
  
"Believe me, Emelia, if I had scared her, she would have clammed up worse than ever. Yes, I know about you, too. One of my associates warned me about you, and he was a very trusted friend. He was practically ashamed he knew you, the way you threw yourself at all the doctors."  
  
"So who was this creep? I bet he was bald, fat, and horny," she hissed. Halden allowed himself an ironic grin.  
  
"No, Emelia, it was Marcus Levan, your father. He was killed in a train crash about five years ago, and believe me, if it weren't for a father's love, you would have been left out of the will and disowned. Those were his words to me."  
  
"That bastard left you the bulk of everything," she spat.  
  
"That's because he liked me."  
  
"Son of a bitch!" she shouted.  
  
He yanked the journal out from underneath her foot, and true to his word, did not catch her when she fell. 


	14. Chapter 14

Mara whirled around when she heard the door slam. "Door..? I came in through a window," she thought, and frowned. It was true; she remembered jumping in. But there in front of her eyes, was a door, large and made of oak. Its hinges were on the same side as the doorknob, and she felt that somehow, that particular oddity explained everything. A noise came from behind, and she spun around again, knife poised and ready to throw.  
  
Instead of an enemy, there was a child. Privately she thought that it was the strangest-looking child that she had ever seen, but she was nevertheless relieved that it wasn't a Boojum or a card guard. Or looking like it had a reason to kill her. "Who are you?" she asked.  
  
"You wan play wiv me?" it asked.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Play wiv me!! Play wiv me!" it shrieked, and Mara found herself backing up.  
  
"I... I can't. I have to get the Queen."  
  
"Queen can't play!" it yelled.  
  
"Cat!!" she shouted, almost in a panic about this strange creature.  
  
"Yes? Whatever can it be this time?" he asked. He was casually curled up on a cupboard.  
  
"What is that thing?" Cat followed her gaze and stretched.  
  
"Ah yes... I knew that one would come up sooner or later."  
  
"Do I kill it?" She asked uncertainly.  
  
"Trying won't do much good," he said leisurely. She arched an eyebrow.  
  
"These children are too far gone for anything to have any effect on them. Why, I say one walking around with a rather large screw sticking out of his ear the other day."  
  
Doubtfully, Mara considered what he said. "I'm not entirely sure that I believe you, Cat... but what am I trying to do now?"  
  
"Kitty plays wiv me! Play!!"  
  
Cat surveyed the child, rather amused. "Kitty can't play at the moment," he drawled, and vanished.  
  
"Hey- Cat!! You didn't answer my question!" she shouted. "Dammit, Cat!"  
  
All she saw after that was that eternal grin, laughing. Laughing at her. She shook her head at his antics, the child far from her mind, until it grabbed her hand.  
  
"Hey! I can't play with you!" she hissed, and wrenched her hand back. "I have to get the Queen!" Her bad choice of words was almost immediately evident.  
  
"Help me!! Queen!! Help!"  
  
At that moment, several guards ran in, trying to see what all of the fuss was about. When they saw her, they charged and she drew out her knife again. The next few moments were a blur of bodies and blood, and when she had finished with them, she cleaned her knife on the front of her sweater. That made her stop and examine her front much more closely- there was a whole lot of blood on her. "Ewww..." she muttered, and shook her head.  
  
After getting some off her, she straightened and almost casually walked through the other door.  
  
Once through, she was met with a flurry of diamond bullets and hit the ground. She threw her knife hard several times, all the while running for the first (and closer) guard. Once there, she killed him and used his corpse as a shield as she fired his weapon at his companion. The diamond screamed and collapsed, and she finished him off with the knife.  
  
Once that bit of work was done with, she explored a little. There were four doors, each with their own particular marking on the doorknob: a flower on top and a card symbol on the bottom. Mara searched for a clue or a hint as to where to go, growing more and more disoriented; everything was beginning to look the same. It was then that she spotted the stairway, almost hidden by a door with heart markings, and as it seemed like the best way to go, went up. It led to a room that was, for the most part, large and empty, besides an object mounted over a huge fireplace. Hesitating, she leapt onto the mantle, trying to get closer, so as to see what it was.  
  
She wasn't entirely sure what it was at first, but upon closer inspection found that it was a croquet mallet, and raised an eyebrow. Then she shrugged, figuring that she may as well pick it up anyway. She lifted it out of the display and examined it. It was longer than the knife and promised to be rather painful in terms of bashing power. It was painted a pale lavender, and its head was that of a flamingo. The whole thing was made of wood.  
  
A brow arched in puzzlement. She had never seen a flamingo or played croquet there, but then she remembered that Alice had, and she smiled in realisation. These were the things that Alice had used when she was here. They were all based on her experiences, and she laughed delightedly as she headed back to the room full of doors.  
  
After picking one of the doors, she found herself in the auditorium. The stage was dimly lit, and the rest of it had very little light. The curtains hung from bent wires, and were currently open to reveal several of the insane children. Those things inspired her to make an impromptu decision to leave the stage for last- if she explored it at all. The audience seats were all different sizes, some short, some tall, but none of them had legs that were all the same length. The seats that had cushions were hard as a rock, and she found that she could sink into an un-cushioned chair with ease. "Strange..." she muttered, with one last look at the chair she'd sat in.  
  
"Ha! I was wondering when you'd get here!" a familiar voice exclaimed.  
  
"Del!"  
  
"Yup, that's me."  
  
"Okay, what do I need to do?" she asked. He scrunched up his face.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"To make me small."  
  
"Aren't you short enough?"  
  
"...I'm too tall for a rabbit's hole. Where is it?"  
  
"Where is what?"  
  
"The potion!"  
  
"What potion?"  
  
Mara was getting really irritated. "It's completely useless to ask you anything, isn't it?"  
  
"If you ask me the right questions, it ain't." Del said calmly.  
  
She felt as though she were near tears. Finally, she blurted out with, "How am I to get the potion that will make me small?"  
  
He turned to her and grinned, and just as he was about to speak, his mouth opened wide and he pointed. She turned and saw two diamond guards.  
  
At that she took out the mallet and muttered, "Let's see what you can do," and swung. She wasn't quite close enough to a guard, but it suddenly released a ball that connected with his face. Electrical charges swam out and the guard was dead in moments. She pounced on the other one and hit him twice with the mallet, and he was dead too.  
  
Mara turned back to Del and found that he had made his way to a bookcase illuminated by candles, and was beckoning to her. She came and he pulled out a candle. The bookcase spun slowly around, leading to a long, open hallway. There were three doors that they could pick, about five feet apart: a low one that was below floor level by about a foot, one that was at the floor, and one that was a foot above the floor. She turned to Del for help.  
  
He scratched his head a few times. "Now, I remember... one of these doors leads to the library and one leads to certain death by a hundred diamond guards... at least it'll be certain death at your present skill level. Which is which I dunno."  
  
"Well, what does the third do?"  
  
"Broom closet," was the reply. She shook her head and paused. Light backed all of them, which seeped out of the cracks and around the edges of the door: red, yellow, and green, and they all rotated around periodically. The red light moved the fastest; sometimes it wound up booting another light away. Then was the yellow light. It showed up less frequently, but it would appear to bump something out every now and then. The green was slowest- and it seemed that to compensate for its lack of frequency in appearing, it would stay in one place until taken over by another colour. She counted it staying for as long as fifty seconds until one - almost always red - bumped it out. The whole thing reminded her of Christmas lights, what with all the changing around it did.  
  
"When I tell you, run- stay behind me," she said softly. "I'm going to try for the middle door the second the green light hits it." Del was pale and trembling. Nevertheless, he put on a brave face and nodded, following closely behind her.  
  
"Now!" And they ran. Almost at the point of turning back, she found herself pushing open the green door and stepping through into a long hall dominated by books of every size, shape, colour and genre. Turning, she grinned at Del. "We made it," she whispered. She peered at some of the titles as they walked, and found them strangely intriguing. "Beyond Looking-Glass Land," "How to be Invisible," and more interesting titles lay on the circular-shaped shelves, and gave the impression that gravity had no hand in their positions whatsoever. Perhaps there was a book of levitation there..? She shook her head and continued on.  
  
As she neared the end of the hall, a club guard stopped her. She never gave him the chance to call his friends before his head rolled away, coming to a stop just before the bookcase. She stood over it, wondering if it would call its friends anyway, but at Del's insistence, continued on.  
  
She stopped short as she stepped in, knowing that this was by far one of the oddest places that she had come upon. Each story in the huge library opened out into the hall beside it, with no walls or balconies or anything to keep one from falling off, just the end of the floor. On the bookcases, the books were every size and shape- there were round books, even. The bookcases themselves were tilted, bent, and almost completely warped, in every sense of the word.  
  
Insane children were there, in numbers enough that she felt more than a little uncomfortable. There were three card guards there, ignored by the children, keeping a vigilant, though ineffective watch. She hadn't exactly faced three at one time, much less two diamonds and a club, though the fight just before Del disappeared could count. She turned to Del.  
  
"The book of ingredients is on the fourth floor. It's called 'The Book of Bizarre Things," he whispered. "You'll have to take the stairs."  
  
The stairs were at the other end of the room, blocked by the guards. She didn't want to fight at that moment, so she sneaked past, thinking about anything but sneaking by them. Just then, one of them saw Del and started walking towards him, getting his spear ready. She had to kill them then. Shaking her head, she walked up the stairs. Del didn't follow. She didn't blame him.  
  
On the second floor, she saw a long hallway with rows of books on either side and groaned inwardly. That was the perfect setting for an ambush. Cautiously she walked over to the first bookcase and sent a croquet ball flying over it, pummelling a few cases. It became worth the noise when she heard several agonised screams, and she couldn't resist chuckling softly over their cursing and yelling. Upon seeing movement, she sent another ball flying, and this one connected with several more. They groaned and shouted at the others, asking inane questions, like "what was that?" and "did you see anything?"  
  
She shook her head and trotted forwards to the first row. Two guards lay there, not dead, but certainly not alive enough to stand up to her. After a moment, she pulled out her knife. Throwing it once at each killed them, and she went through, until the others were all dead. Going through their pockets, she found a few interesting items. The first was a lighter that felt like it had enough fuel for one more lighting. The second was a letter from the Queen herself.  
  
Captain,  
  
I have been informed of your progress as of late and I must say, I am highly displeased. If you expect to live out the end of the month, you will have your troops evened out and put into proper form when I come by with my inspection, or your head will be OFF! I know that I have made myself quite clear, and that this Faith is not to be underestimated. Kill her while you have any advantage, no matter how small! If you don't kill her, and she doesn't kill you, I can guarantee that I shall!  
  
The Red Queen  
  
For the first time, she felt a true, cold fear growing in the pit of her stomach as she realised, this person really wants me dead.  
  
There was one bookcase that was still entirely intact- it was on the right. She clambered up that and through a hole in the ceiling, startling herself when she bumped into a book (with a tail), which, unlike all the others, was falling up. Upside-Down Tales of Tails, it was called.  
  
She found herself crawling up a hole- that was guarded by a diamond. His back was to her, and she cautiously pulled herself through, taking out the croquet mallet as she went. She knew that it was probably cheap of her to attack someone whose back was turned, but he had more than likely done that to someone else as well, and she felt no remorse as she brought the mallet down with a sickening crack on his skull and a shower of blood. His spear clattered down beside her onto the bookcase.  
  
A diamond bullet whistled over her head, and she ducked. There had been a diamond guard across the hall that she hadn't noticed... and it had just seen her. There was no way that she could play the innocent now, as one of his companions lay dead at her waist. That, and she was holding the still-bloody weapon that had killed him. She had a significant disadvantage, being caught in the hole. As he lumbered towards her, she ducked back into the hole. He stood at the top and started firing those damned bullets, and she was forced to always keep moving - a challenge with her precarious footing.  
  
At that moment, she lost her balance and fell with a loud thud onto the bookcase, landing with the sharp end of the spear digging into her side. Had it punctured her skin? She didn't know, but it hurt like nothing else... and the guard up there had decided to jump down, as well. He grinned at her, and started stabbing at her, as she rolled this way and that to avoid the vicious point of his spear.  
  
She grabbed her knife and threw it, and for the first time, missed. She stared after it in shock for a moment, and jumped up, propelling herself backwards all the while. Concentrate! she told herself, afraid and angry at her inexplicable failure. The guard suddenly tackled her, taking advantage of her sudden immobility, pushing his arm up against her throat, cutting off her air.  
  
Through the muddled haze, she felt as though he was pressing all of his weight down on her. This gave her an idea, and she lifted her feet, allowing both to fall, with him falling on her knife. He screamed and she fought for a handhold on it and dragged it down as far as she could without breaking her arm, and they both gazed at the ragged hole in his abdomen. Then he fell off the bookcase and was still. She pulled herself up through the hole, onto the third floor.  
  
She explored that for a little while, until she found a lift that took her to the fourth floor. The first thing she met there was a diamond guard. He gasped in surprise then whipped out his spear. But he was too late, and he sunk to the floor, a wide slash in his chest and one arm gone.  
  
Then Mara was able to take a look around the room. Like the others, the room itself was rectangular, with a large gap in the centre. A thin, rickety bridge led to a large display, where The Book of Bizarre Things was prominently displayed. Taking a closer look, Mara realised that the bridge was made out of sheets of paper... pages that had been torn out of book, more specifically. She stared at it, and put a foot on, trying to see if it was solid.  
  
The bridge dipped where her foot pressed in, and when she took it off, sprung back up as though it were made of elastic. Perhaps they came from a book on elasticity, she mused, and carefully stepped onto it all the way. At that moment, there was a curious flapping sound, and she turned, looking for the source. There was nothing behind her, and she took a step. The second she did, something dived at her from the air, and she ducked. The sudden change in her weight caused the bridge to sink, and then release, sending her several feet into the air.  
  
Something else dived at her, even after she landed back on solid ground. Then she realised: her attackers were the books. Now afraid, she stepped back onto the bridge, and started across. She moved a little quicker than was wise, and several times she fell, wrapping her arms and legs around the bridge to keep herself from plummeting four stories down. No matter how lucky she had been in surviving so far, she doubted any measure of luck would be able to save her from that.  
  
The books seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in her difficulties, and only made them worse. The second she would manage to get steady again, another (usually a very heavy and thick one) would dive at her. In the interest of keeping her neck and head connected to her body, she would drop down, and spend the next several steps in a crawl, which was then hampered by the books floating above the bridge and dropping themselves onto it. The ripple effect made the journey almost intolerable, but she didn't want to provoke them into doing worse.  
  
Finally she reached the platform where the Book of Bizarre Things was located. The book was large and heavy, and she absolutely refused to take her chances on the bridge again. Especially since the books were all hovering around, flapping their pages in what looked like laughter.  
  
"Cat!"  
  
"Fly in the direction gravity takes you."  
  
She scowled up at the air, as it was only his voice that appeared. "Thaaanks," she said sarcastically, and got an idea. Opening the book, she pushed it off the pedestal. 


	15. Chapter 15

Del was sitting in a chair, ignoring the kids, when a large book dropped. It went so fast, and dropped out of sight so quickly, he could have sworn that he'd imagined it. A moment later, Mara followed, and he jumped up, calling to her. He ran to the edge and saw her, sitting on the book, fine, looking as though nothing had happened whatsoever. "Mara!" He called down. She gave a tiny wave.  
  
A few minutes later, he was at the bottom with her. She had stood up and was now rubbing her behind. When he asked how she was, her mouth twisted into a wry smile. "I think that my ass is always gonna be black and blue from now on," she laughed, and he sighed.  
  
"You almost gave me a heart attack," he chuckled, and she smiled.  
  
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "But getting down seemed like it would be a bit of a problem..."  
  
He nodded in agreement and opened the book, flipping through until he found the spell. "Mushrooms, poppies, sugar and spice. All these things are very nice. When combined the proper mixture makes a 'getting small' elixir," he read.  
  
"Del? Are you really sure about this?" she said. "Because I'm not. I'm going to have to find all this stuff, I know. And it's only going to get me killed." Del shook his head.  
  
"It'll get you small, and that's what matters," he told her. "And somehow, I highly doubt that you'll be killed when you're getting the ingredients."  
  
"What about after I take it?" she asked dryly. He shrugged.  
  
"I'd be more concerned about the antidote - it was just discovered 50 years ago." She read the note of pride in his voice and guessed - correctly - that he had been the one who had discovered it. Though she was curious as to why he'd be proud of something that could potentially kill her.  
  
"What is the antidote?"  
  
"It used to be a toadstool. That's still used by another spell. The antidote to this one is..." he thought for a moment. "Rat's eyes, fungus, slips and snails." Mara winced.  
  
"I have to bloody eat that??"  
  
"You'll survive," he said cheerfully. "Besides, there's a plus. You don't need to get those ingredients. I think I have an old batch somewhere."  
  
She nodded doubtfully and discreetly escaped to throw up while he read the other workings of the spell.  
  
Soon after, she was searching the skool for the ingredients to the shrinking potion, and eventually found herself in a large, circular room. The actual room was two stories, with a hole in the centre and a broken spiral staircase separating the two. There were guards downstairs, clearly stuck. She walked around a bit more, ignoring them for the moment. There were three doors on this story, all locked. It appeared as though the surviving guards would be expecting company pretty soon. 'Surviving' because she had just let loose two croquet balls down there, and she saw one plunge through the chests of two.  
  
She sauntered down the stairway, enjoying the sounds of the ball bouncing around, hitting the guards, but held her breath whenever it hit the stairs and knocked out a new hole. Once it almost hit her as she was jumping, but fate was with her and she twisted frantically and it missed. There was dead silence in the room, but then she caught a guard skulking around, evidently waiting for her to come down. She waited until he came out slightly into the open and threw her knife, and he was dead.  
  
When she was at the bottom, she walked around. There were two doors: one on the right, one on the left. The room on the right was the first door she tried, and it was unlocked. She stepped through the doorway, only to find herself at the top of a staircase in a room that was mainly a void, with only a narrow ledge there, with nothing on it. Disappointed, she turned and left, though it bothered her that there seemed to be a room without a purpose.  
  
Once out, she hurried up the stairs as two club guards ran out of the other room. They followed her until she got to the first big hole in the stairs, and then they just shook their fists and yelled. She killed them, fearing that the noise they were making would summon more guards.  
  
She saw Rabbit when she got in, and he was in the rafters. "Hurry! There's not much time!" he called to her, and she wandered around, trying to find a way to join him there.  
  
"You know, there is an easier way to get small than the method that Alice used," Cat's voice said.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Ask Del, and see what he says."  
  
"You mean hear," she corrected absently.  
  
"Yes, we are here. Quite the unpleasant place."  
  
"That's not what I meant, Cat," she growled.  
  
"Do stop that, you sound so like a dog."  
  
"CAT!" she shouted, exasperated. He vanished, his leering grin staying behind to mock her. She swatted at where his body would have been, but her hand passed through nothing. Furious, she turned away, presenting her back to empty air. Directly in front of her was a lever. Torn between amusement and exasperation with the mangy feline, she pulled it, and bleachers started extending from the walls. There didn't seem to be anything else to do in there but climb them and see what the rafters held, besides Rabbit. Once she caught sight of him again, he called back to her, and scampered off, keeping low to the ground.  
  
She nearly lost her balance on the narrow beam she was standing on. Before her was a twisting, turning maze of corridors and doors, and Rabbit had completely disappeared into it. Then he came back, thoroughly exasperated. "Faith!" he snapped. She glared at him and he sighed, remembering his error. "All right. But whatever your name is today, hurry up!" Then he was off again, and this time, she followed.  
  
Left, left, right... left again, straight... She followed Rabbit through a maze of corridors, trying not to lose sight of his tail. She did anyway, and when she couldn't even hear him anymore, felt very much alone. "Rabbit!" She called. There was no answer, no sign of him at all. "Rabbit! Cat!"  
  
"I've heard that self reliance is a virtue. Now practice it."  
  
"Dammit Cheshire, I'm in no mood for these games!" But he was silent.  
  
Slowly she wandered through, opening no doors, and randomly selected corners to turn.  
  
Rabbit was hopping along at a steady clip, not noticing that Mara was not behind him until he met up with Del and the elder frowned at him.  
  
"Where is she?" the old dwarf asked. Rabbit was confused and turned, fully expecting to see Faith coming out of the maze, a little cross, but not too bad. To his alarm, she did not come at all. Without a word to Del, he sped back in, hoping that she had the good sense to stay put.  
  
About eight corridors away in the opposite direction, Mara wandered around, now quite lost and totally disoriented. Hesitating, she turned down a dark corridor of doors, whose only lighting came from a small window high above. A creak from nearby assured her that she was not alone, and she backed up, out of the light and silently drew out her knife. Two young dwarves were there, scared and shaking.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, in a voice that was much braver than she felt. The dwarves were apparently more afraid than she was; they must have jumped at least a mile. When they heard her voice and saw the vague outlines of her shadowed figure, they resumed their shaking so severely that she was completely convinced that at least one would end up with a broken jaw.  
  
"Wh-who-who's th-there?" the taller one called. He took a step forward, shielding the other from view. She raised an eyebrow and took a step toward them, coming into the light.  
  
When they saw her they gasped in fear, and jumped away. "Hang on! What's the matter?" she asked exasperatedly, seizing them both by their beards. "Hey, I'll put away the knife, okay? Just hold still!" She let go, and they fell in their efforts to get away. In falling, they hit their heads against the wall and sat still, fighting the vertigo.  
  
"You're one of them!" the taller one squeaked in fear. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Me? One of those guards?" She was disgusted with the very notion of it.  
  
"She has-spies-like you so that she can keep us in the mines!" he gasped. The littler one was pressing an elbow into his stomach in his efforts to hide, and he couldn't draw a proper breath.  
  
"She may have spies, but I'm sure as hell not one of them," she snapped at him. He cowered. "Now, who are you?"  
  
"My name's Ray."  
  
"How did you and your friend get out of the mines?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Why?" He still did not trust her. She didn't care for them, either, so she decided that between them, they were even.  
  
"I heard that no one ever escaped before."  
  
"No one has, until Del. We dunno how he got ou-wasn't supposed to tell that he's out," he moaned. She decided to forgive that lack of judgment temporarily, and pressed on.  
  
"Right. I went up to the rafters of a gym and found myself here. How?"  
  
"Uh, that's just the way it works." The littler one was staring at her blankly, as though she had just asked the most brainless question in the world.  
  
She shook her head exasperatedly. "Okay, fine. Just leave now, okay?" They scampered off as fast as they could, and she calmed down quickly. "That was smart, girl," she muttered. A shadow fell over the remaining light suddenly, and she was left in pitch-blackness.  
  
A hand grabbed hers and started pulling. Startled, she lost her balance and was pulled a good distance before she recovered her senses and saw what was pulling her. "Rabbit!" she said. She was very glad to see the detestable little bunny.  
  
Swiftly he led her back through and to the right path, this time never letting go of her hand. "What was that?" she panted.  
  
"Clouds," he said uneasily, and led her through a final, long corridor, not letting go until they reached the end. There she saw Del again.  
  
"Del! What are you doing here?" She asked in shock. He always turned up in strange places - as long as he was mostly out of harm's way.  
  
"Never mind that," he said, and handed her mushrooms. " I can't promise I'll be here to do this every time, but someone needs to keep the stuff away from the children." He started going.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
He stopped.  
  
"Cat told me to ask you about the 'other' way to make me small. He said that it's faster."  
  
"It is," he said calmly. "But it's also harder to undo. This pendant is a big part of it." He held it up. It flashed in the fading light and she saw a million colours inside.  
  
"I thought it was..."  
  
"Just a pendant? Most people do. If you want to do it this way, go ahead. But I'll warn you now: if you choose the other way, you won't need to face the Mantis in order to get big again. Remember what I told you about the antidote? I've still got that batch."  
  
"I don't think that Cat would tell me about the other method unless he wanted me to face the Mantis, however bad it is."  
  
He nodded and thought for a moment. "How about I make the potion just in case, and if you want to use that instead, you can."  
  
"No, I don't think that'll work," she sighed. "I'm going to use the pendant. How?"  
  
"I'll tell you later. I need to brew a different potion, but I have all of the ingredients I need."  
  
He hurried over to a stairway that seemed it would barely fit him, but nevertheless, he fitted inside with ease. She couldn't follow- it was too small, so she hunted around for another door- there was none. She hurried back to the circle room, and went through one of the doors on the second floor. She was in the Second Grayd. Del was in there, being attacked by a few diamond guards. They jabbed their spears at him, elbowing each other and laughing as they advanced.  
  
The one closest to Del toppled over suddenly, and his companions turned to see a knife in his back. They gasped and turned, and instantly another had the knife embedded in his chest. One of them panicked and grabbed Del, using him as a shield. Mara killed the other and hesitated, feeling unsure. Her aim had been a little off the last several times she had thrown, and she was terrified of hitting Del. She started coming closer, but the guard held the edge of his spear against Del's throat, and a thin trickle of blood seeped out. She froze and the guard laughed. Del was standing still, but there was fire in his eyes.  
  
She threw the knife, hitting the diamond's spear hand, and he screamed, dropping it. When she felt the knife materialising in her hand, she charged, slashing him several times, but never touching Del. He shakily stepped away from the corpse, and gingerly felt his throat, wincing as his fingers hit blood. Frantically she searched for something that he could use to stem the bleeding and clean the cut, and came upon the clean rag that she'd filched from a guard. He accepted it with thanks, and carefully held it at the wound. He stepped into the shadows, and she ran back out before anything could come to get her.  
  
Once she reached the third grayd, she stopped, just beyond the door. There were a few guards there, and they had not seen her yet. The two Boojum that had been hiding had, though, and they both screamed at once. She was thrown back a few feet, but threw her knife and hit one.  
  
She was just about to charge again, when she saw the second croquet mallet. She picked it up and took her old one out. The new one was hollow, with a space in the middle for the old one. She snapped it in place, and pounded a Boojum, pleased to note that it was sent flying a few feet before disintegrating. The other charged, but was taken out easily. Just then, a guard bludgeoned her across the back, and she fell. The mallet rolled towards them, and they laughed. She was down, disarmed, and they would probably take her weapon. They did, but when the guard raised it, it vanished out of his hand and reappeared in her own. She used her knife to block the spear and sent a croquet ball flying. Only this time there were two of them, and the other collided with the guard behind him. They grew steadily larger as they traversed the room, and were the size of a guard's head when one hit him and vanished.  
  
She stared in some disbelief over that turn of events, then stared down at the mallet.  
  
Once she finished, she explored until she came back to the empty room. There was a dice that she hadn't noticed her first time in, with skulls and demons carved around the numbers. She reached towards it.  
  
"This game can turn distinctly nasty. Don't ever play alone," Cat warned, appearing suddenly behind her.  
  
"What d'you mean?" she asked, but he was already gone. She took the dice.  
  
At that moment, three Boojum and three diamond guards burst inside, the guards shouting and the Boojum screaming. Mara barely had time to dodge the screams, and almost fell off. When they began closing in on her, she rolled the dice. A small demon appeared behind the guards, who seemed to think that the dice was a dud. They elbowed each other and laughed, thinking the same thing: she had gambled and lost. She backed behind the stairs as one of the guards started firing at her. Another started towards her, and before she could get her knife up, a jolt of electricity pounded through him, killing him. The other turned away from her for a moment to see where the attack had come from.  
  
Immediately she took care of him from behind, while the demon attacked the other from the front, though it didn't succeed in killing him. Easily, she switched to the croquet mallet and sent a ball hurtling towards the three Boojum. It killed one, and seriously maimed another, and she finished it off with the knife. She quickly jumped underneath the other Boojum, which the injured guard did not see, and screamed at him as he attacked her.  
  
Once the guard was finished, she killed the final Boojum. The tired demon went back to its dice, and she sighed, relieved, and hurried out of the room. She explored some more until she found Del. He nodded, telling her that the potion was ready, and left. She was about to follow when the mallet... winked at her. She looked strangely at it for a moment, then followed, slinging it over her shoulder in a forced gesture of absolute nonchalance.  
  
He was in the lab, concocting a smelly potion, which she instantly drew away from. He stared at her in blatant disbelief. "You can pick the pockets of dead and bloody card guards and stand directly under a Boojum, yet you can't drink this?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, Del, but I wasn't eating them!"  
  
"Yes, but technically you aren't 'eating' this, either."  
  
"It is going inside my mouth and through my intestines," she said, nervously running a hand through her hair. He laughed at her.  
  
"Take the potion and the star key," he told her, pushing it into her unwilling hand. "You'll know when to drink it when the time comes."  
  
She placed the key in a star-shaped hole in the doorjamb, and the door fell open, revealing a portal. She took it out, and Del came up next to her. "Good luck, Faith," he whispered, and pushed her through.  
  
She landed on a cushioned chair and instantly was in pain when her rump hit the rock-solid pad. Inside the library, she ignored the one club guard, and saw a doorjamb that had a star-shaped hole in it. Would the star fit? The hole seemed so tiny, compared to the key. Tentatively, she placed the star inside it. The door opened into a small, cramped room, and she stepped inside. As a parting gift to the guard, she sent a croquet ball flying and it hit him dead in the face as he ran to stop her. 


	16. Chapter 16

Slowly the room rose, and she realised that it was a lift. She felt something like apprehension, and realised that if there were guards waiting for her, she would be a sitting duck, since there was absolutely no cover inside.  
  
The doors opened and she was met with two diamonds and a club guard, and she dived headfirst into the club, knocking him off-balance. Then she turned and hit him with the mallet, which blew the top half of him straight off. Then she twisted and used the knife to kill another guard and spun around to face the last one. He started firing at her, but she sidestepped left and right several times as she waited for her knife or the mallet to materialise. The knife did and she immediately threw it at the guard.  
  
Once that was over with, she felt weary, so she was rather unhappy when a diamond bullet raked across her jaw line. Infuriated, she turned around and sent two croquet balls flying toward the guard on a platform. He screamed, but that did him no good, especially when they collided with him. She nursed her cut as she went upstairs, muttering about how much she hated the guards and how she couldn't wait to get away from them.  
  
For a moment, she paused and looked around the room. It was rather pretty, but resembled the family room in her home a little much for her taste. There was a bookcase on the wall farthest from her, just beside the lift. The walls were red and the bug-ridden carpet was a deep mauve colour. The stairs she was on were wooden, as was the platform. There was nothing to do in this room, either.  
  
"Oh, please!" she muttered exasperatedly. "Cat! How do I get OUT of here?!"  
  
Cat didn't even speak. Instead, Jeremy did. "Kitty's a little busy right now, Faith," he told her. "Check out the window."  
  
She glanced at it. Jeremy, knowing her tendency towards immediate gratification, laughed. "A bit harder, sis."  
  
There was that dark corridor that she had met Ray and what's-his-name in, reflected in the glass. She turned, and seeing nothing, looked back. It was still there.  
  
"That's where you need to go- get back in the lift."  
  
She did, and it started an agonisingly slow journey upwards. Tired, she leaned back, relieved that at least SOMEONE had told her where to go. She nearly retched when she remembered that it was Jeremy. Now that she wasn't drugged with whatever had come out of the spider's syringe, common sense told her that this situation was very wrong. Jeremy was dead. Jeremy was gone. He had been buried for seven years. The thought made her start crying again, and it took some effort to stop.  
  
The lift continued its journey up until she reached the maze again. There was a funny twinge in her stomach when it reoccurred to her that Jeremy had told her the right course of action... again. It was still fairly light, and she started off the way she'd gone with Rabbit. Remembering where she had lost sight of him, she tried to retrace her own steps. It was difficult, considering that she had randomly picked directions without much thought. Fortunately, Rabbit was waiting fairly close to the beginning, and he tugged her through the maze to the last door. "Go through."  
  
She went and was immediately jolted by a rush of wind and unsteady surface. She was in a void again, standing on a chunk of stone, and the portal lay about thirty feet below.  
  
Mara looked up, knowing what would have to happen, but trying to get some divine assurances that she was wrong. "Here is your chance to grow minuscule, Faith," Cat's voice purred. "Take it."  
  
She groaned inwardly and took out the potion. It still smelled disgusting, she noticed, and pinched her nose as she drank it. Then she jumped down into the portal, just as the potion took effect.  
  
Mara landed on her posterior with a decisive thud that completely knocked the wind out of her. She sat in the dirt for a moment, then stood up, slowly, fearing that everything below her waist was broken. Thankfully, this was not the case.  
  
A short distance away, she came upon a very peculiar object. It was white, and tall - very tall, the size of a tree. Only, from what she could see, there didn't seem to be anything remotely tree-like about it. Its trunk was soft and almost spongy to touch, and instead of leaves, it seemed to form something of an umbrella at the very top. Before she could muse on it any further, there was a very, very loud humming coming from somewhere very close. Slowly, she turned, and came face-to-face with a giant wasp. Its eyes, black and evil, leered at her, while its body quivered in excitement. Its wings looked like gossamer that had been liberally infused with armour. Armour with a red heart on it.  
  
Slowly she backed away, trying not to scream, though not succeeding too well. She slowly backed up, seeing a niche that she could easily squeeze into, while the wasp's wings would prevent it from getting inside. Terrified, she ran the three feet to the hole - at three inches, it was quite a feat - the adrenaline from her fear propelling her to an unprecedented speed. She dived inside, and the wasp gave up and flew away. After sitting inside for a moment, she shivered, and irritably swatted at something prickly that constantly brushed up her back. Finally, she turned to face it and met the eight eyes of a shiny black spider that was trying to bite her. She shrieked and jumped out of the hole immediately, with the spider following her.  
  
The spider followed, and soon after she was out, the wasp came back, and she screamed as she dived between its legs and dived into another hole, too small for the wasp and spider.  
  
There was instant pandemonium as the ants' secret meeting was disrupted. Startled by the noise and unprepared for this... thing that was running all over, screaming, the ants panicked and swarmed out of the hall, fast as they could.  
  
Thinking that it was an invasion of spiders and wasps on more mini-people like herself, she followed them, though she couldn't keep up. She lost the stragglers as they came to a stream and jumped over as one. She sat down underneath another of the strange trees, and finally realised that it wasn't a tree; it was a mushroom. She groaned, remembering her new height. Some distance off, Rabbit beckoned to her and dashed through a hole in a huge cliff; probably just a small ridge if she were taller. She got up to follow, but something dropped a boulder over the entrance when she was a only a little ways off.  
  
Highly irritated, she stamped her foot and yelled insults at just about everything she saw, and threw out some particularly good ones that were directed specifically at the rabbit and whatever had just blocked her path to him. She stomped away, trying to find something that would help her follow "that bloody, blasted four-legged nuisance."  
  
She passed a stream several times, and finally dived in, just to see if she would find anything useful... particularly a way under the ridge. As it turned out, she found a large deck of cards instead. When she began running out of air, she made full speed to the surface and hopped out. Cautiously, she took a single card out of the deck and ran her finger along the edge, but quickly pulled back her hand when it drew blood.  
  
After a moment, she tried to find the best way to go, wondering if her chance of finding the right way was hopeless or not.Finally, she closed her eyes and picked a direction, walking aimlessly. "Cat..." she miserably called. She was cold, wet, scared, had no idea where she was going, and she was tired and hungry on top of that. Cat appeared behind her.  
  
"The wrong way is often fascinating, but the right way is better yet."  
  
"Yes, but boulders sometimes damage the right road."  
  
Cat raised an eyebrow. "So you take the long way." And disappeared.  
  
"CAT!!" she shouted, but he didn't come back. She hadn't gotten the chance to tell him that she was completely turned around, and didn't know where the cave was. She felt thoroughly ready to cry.  
  
"Hi, Faith," said Jeremy. "What's the matter?"  
  
She stared nervously at his spectre, unsure if it was merely her imagination or not. Nevertheless, she felt remarkably scruffy. Jeremy was dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. Both were clean, and appropriately rumpled for a seventeen-year-old boy. On the other hand, her sweater was almost shredded, and her dress was torn near the hemline. She felt quite decorated with cuts and bruises.  
  
Jeremy noticed her mental comparison and laughed. "You look fine, sis," he teased. She arched an eyebrow. "Anyway," he continued, starting to walk. "C'mon. That Cat's not too good with directions, and Rabbit... well, there's a little something called 'Nyquil' that'll do wonders for him."  
  
Mara chuckled and walked alongside him. She started to reach for his hand like in old times, then it hit her. He was dead. Shouldn't she be freaking out or something? No... it was Jeremy. But he was dead. Her dead brother... ogod. She sighed and her head drooped, trying not to look at him, trying to reconcile that maybe... maybe he could be there in Wonderland with her. He reached out and took her hand. His touch was cold, but reassuringly... or maybe disturbingly, solid. Neither spoke much, but soon he let go and began running. She glared enviously at him for just a moment. He ran effortlessly, and could pass through solid objects as though they were air. Meanwhile, she was constantly dodging sharp things that scratched her further and got a side cramp. Then she smacked the side of her head and reminded herself that he was dead, and then got mad for being relieved that at least she wasn't.  
  
Jeremy stopped when they reached the stream in front of the boulder that had been dropped, and beckoned her across the narrowest part. She jumped as far as she could, but fell short of the opposite shore.  
  
It was significantly colder than it had been the first time she was in, and she swam up for air fast as she could after the cold shock wore off. When she reached the opposite shore Jeremy was gone, but there was a path up the ridge. She followed that until she reached a crevice that she wouldn't have thought twice about at five feet, but was daunting at three inches. Carefully she walked along the side of it, searching for where it was narrowest. She found it to the left, against a very large rock. There were mushrooms growing out the side of it, and she decided to try to land on one of them.  
  
She took a running leap and hit one on the farthest side, and was immediately propelled much farther forward than she had ever intended to go. She thudded to the ground with a loud "Oomph!!" She stared darkly up at the mushroom for a moment but stood, rubbing her posterior, which was starting to feel alarmingly numb. Grumbling, she climbed up onto the rock again, and hopped down onto another mushroom. Once again, she was propelled forwards, as though someone had thrown her hard as they could. Just barely, she caught onto a boulder and stood on it, and what greeted her was astounding. A waterfall, roaring and menacing as a thunderstorm; yet whispering and gentle as a summer sprinkling. And very tall. In front of it was a shelf of rock that she needed to get to. Feeling more than a little afraid, she jumped at it.  
  
From the path above her, a few ants pushed a rock over the edge. It missed, but Mara was shaken nonetheless. She glowered up at the ants, and shook her head. They laughed at her and darted up.  
  
She groaned and jumped over to the next shelf, which was almost behind the waterfall. The ants pushed another rock, and she had nowhere to go. It headed straight for her, and she dashed behind the waterfall to avoid it. The ants seemed to think that she had been hit by the boulder and fallen, and she heard them laughing and congratulating each other.  
  
There was relative safety to be found behind the waterfall, though it was cold. Hesitantly, she headed to the back, where it was warmest (which really wasn't saying much), and sat down with every intention of going to sleep. After all, she was in safety... safety. That meant she could get some rest.  
  
She was awakened immediately by a set of very sharp claws being jabbed into her arm and leapt up with a cry. Her knife flashed, and Cat's head rolled, landing at her feet, grinning.  
  
She screamed and jumped up. Cat was speaking, disapproving. "Asleep, Faith?" They started speaking at once, each not really listening to the other.  
  
"...I dreamed I killed you..."  
  
"...Rabbit would not approve..."  
  
"...When you woke me..."  
  
"...Queen would love this..."  
  
"...Your head..."  
  
"...need to find the..."  
  
"...didn't know it was you..."  
  
"...eye scythe is only thing..."  
  
"...only wanted to sleep..."  
  
"....can't afford to sleep..."  
  
They stopped speaking. That was all; no words, no sound from either. Only his infuriating grin. Slowly he stood and she almost broke their eye contact, but something inside of her met his challenge, and matched it. She started to remember eyes that were remarkably like his, only instead of his golden eyes they were golden brown, but every bit as piercing. But before she could speak he jumped and pushed her down, and she hit her head on a rock.  
  
"What was that for?" she snapped, rubbing her head. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"If you'll remember..?"  
  
"Oh, that."  
  
She shook her head and stood up. "What do I do now?"  
  
He merely twisted, arching his back so that he was looking at her upside-down, and purred, as though the pose were relaxing. She winced just from the sight of him.  
  
"Perhaps I wasn't being clear enough - who do I find, and how am I to find them?"  
  
"What junk have you?"  
  
She blinked a few times in confusion. "What?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow and gestured with a paw to her overstuffed sleeve. "In there. What have you pilfered from the bodies?"  
  
She hesitated and pulled out the rags, the liquor, the maps, and the letters. From her other sleeve she pulled out the lighter.  
  
He examined them and sniffed the bottles a few times and swatted most of them away. "Why do you bog yourself down with such luggage? Take only what you need to survive."  
  
"I don't know what I need. Everything's so confusing here."  
  
"Confusing? How so, pet?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"I just -"  
  
"Come off it, Faith! Hurry!"  
  
"Rabbit! But you were - how did y-"  
  
"Never mind that! Now come! We must hurry!" His beady eyes darted back and forth anxiously.  
  
"Cat! What's going on?"  
  
He merely snickered and vanished. Impatiently she stormed to the entrance, completely ignoring Rabbit. The way up the path was clear, and she spent the remainder of the time venting her frustration on whatever ant she was fortunate enough to find. She considered herself lucky that there were a few at the top, and she destroyed them with ease. In those few moments, she felt darkness; fury, and she shuddered. Darkness... she thought back to when she had arrived and had seen the caravan. That thing inside was darkness itself. And she realised that there was every chance that when she felt like that, she was only fuelling its power. That was terrifying.  
  
Rabbit had left her again, although she knew that it was her own fault. 


	17. Chapter 17

He knelt the best he could in HER throne room. The Queen smiled at him and bade him raise his head. He grinned up at her. She bade him to rise again, and he did. He stood in silence as she perused everything from his face to his feet, not fidgeting as so many were prone to do.  
"Is she on her way?" the Queen asked. In the dead silence of the room, her voice, raspy and slightly grating, was hard on his sensitive ears.  
He nodded, nevertheless. "I am trying to get her here, Milady, but she does not come."  
  
"Then you shall have to... encourage her. If she does not come, you know what the consequences are."  
  
He nodded and bowed, acknowledging her orders. "Is there anything else, or shall I go now?"  
  
"There is more. There is a ball in a matter of days. Will you be attending?" Her lips curled in what seemed like a small smile.  
  
"I did not receive an invite, Majesty." It was only here that he fidgeted, but only for a moment.  
  
"Then come anyway. I personally invite you." She looked closely at him for any signs of displeasure. But he knew what displeasure on his part meant: beheading. He grinned at her again and nodded.  
  
"Then I shall come."  
  
"Good." Her lips curled wider. "Gooood."  
  
She was completely and totally lost. Mara turned in circles, finding where she thought that she had just come from, and slowly turned in a half circle until she was (relatively) certain that she was going in the right direction. Four ants that she had met coming up the path had completely turned her around, and she felt that she didn't know left from right anymore. She was barely certain that she had even won. The one thing she was sure of was that she didn't want to deal with Cat.  
  
She called out, afraid of the uncertainty. "Jeremy! Where are you?"A soft laugh greeted her. There he was, leaning up against a blade of grass, head cocked to one side, shoulders slanted, completely at ease.  
  
He walked over to where she was standing. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I'm lost. Cat didn't tell me which way to go, he only got rid of over half the things I picked up."  
  
He chuckled. "Then I suppose that you didn't need half those things anyway."  
  
Jeremy turned and started walking, and she followed until they reached a fast-moving stream, and then she hesitated. But he jumped on a passing leaf and she had no choice but to leap onto the next. She thought it a miracle that she'd made it.  
  
The leaf continued on its journey, but it was small, the current was fast, and her small weight had no impact on the high speed and erratic course whatsoever. On the other hand, Jeremy's was perfectly steady, and when she was brave (or in her mind, stupid) enough to peek up, she would see him standing like a surfer. Then he turned and shouted at her to stand up and turn sideways and face forward. She shook her head furiously, but he kept telling her, so finally she did. Then it was another several minutes of convincing her to bend her knees.  
  
It was a little easier that way, and after some reluctant experimentation she found that she could even guide it with her foot when she wanted to. A little, anyway.  
  
When she finally was able to stand like Jeremy told her, she saw him flip over a root and land back on his leaf with a whoop. She laughed, and merely jumped over. The second she landed, an acorn hit the water just next to her leaf. It buckled but didn't tip, and she pressed all of her weight onto the side that was highest and it soon balanced out again.  
  
When the stream banked sharply, she was almost completely horizontal, and she fought with every ounce of strength she had to stay on. Then more acorns dropped and she fell off completely, but grabbed the leaf and pulled herself up, just as a long, sticky tongue caught onto her leg, and pulled her down. She screamed (a very surreal sound and experience underwater) and started cutting at it with the knife, but it only pulled her closer.  
  
She turned and found herself face-to-mouth with a pale blue fish-like thing that was watching her very intently. It stared at her for just a moment, and she watched it. Its tongue was caught on her arm, holding her under, and she began to grow a little light-headed as she ran out of oxygen.  
  
She took out her knife and hacked at the thing until she finally killed it. She kicked frantically up to the surface and gulped in the precious air.  
  
Another leaf sailed by, and she grabbed at it, hauling herself on. Jeremy was waiting, and she got the feeling that his leaf answered to him and not the river.  
  
"What was that?" she asked him.  
  
"I dunno," he confessed, and turned around to face her. "You did pretty well until the ladybugs dropped the second acorn," he called back.  
  
"Thanks," she replied, concentrating on standing up. Then she heard the rushing sounds of a waterfall. Her eyes widened as the leaf rapidly approached, and she jumped off and swam to the bank as fast as she could. Then she ran down alongside the waterfall and when she reached the bottom, Jeremy was waiting for her once again. She jumped onto a new leaf, missing her footing as she landed. Nevertheless, she forced herself to stand and turn. Once she did so, the ladybugs dropped another acorn, which landed very nearby. Angry, she threw her knife at one that was slowly approaching her with an acorn in its legs. It screeched and fell into the water with a splash.  
  
Jeremy pointed to a log, indicating that that was where they were headed. She nodded, suddenly a little worried. What if there were spiders there? Come to think of it, what if there were water spiders in the water?! She started panicking, not realising that she only making herself paranoid. Her leaf buckled, thanks to her shaking, so Jeremy stopped his leaf and brought it alongside hers.  
  
He reassured her that nothing was going to hurt her, and that all she needed to do was keep going forward and not panic. She nodded shakily, whispering, "Go forward, don't panic. Go forward, don't panic."  
  
With that, she guided her leaf into the current that would take them through the log, but at that exact moment, a bullet passed through the folds of her much-too-large sweater, and she didn't hesitate before jumping onto a nearby lily pad, then to the next, and finally to land. She landed with a crouch and sprung up to meet the ant soldiers.  
  
The first thing she did was swing the mallet as hard as she could at the first ant as she rose. It connected to the ant's head and it flew away, disappearing behind a leaf. The other three ants slowly advanced, hissing at her.  
  
She remembered the lighter suddenly, and took in a big mouthful of the liquor. Her eyes watered at the feeling of fire inside her mouth. Then she lit the lighter and spit the liquid out in a strong spray, and the ants screamed as the flames hit them.  
  
A moment later, all that remained were several charred bodies and that awful, fiery taste in her mouth. Frantically she ran to the water's edge and sucked in water and rinsed her mouth out, spitting the salty water back out again in disgust. "Ugh! Oh, that is DISGUSTING!!"  
  
Quickly she jumped onto another leaf and rode it until she reached another waterfall. Jeremy went over the edge, whooping and yelling, as she knew he would. Meanwhile, she jumped onto shore and ran down until she reached the end of the waterfall and jumped onto a lily pad as she waited for another leaf to come by. It came and she hopped on.  
  
This leaf went at a much more leisurely pace than its counterparts (in a straight path, no less), and she had time to look around without being in danger of crashing into something. Up in the distance, she saw something and squinted. It was a bridge, probably a quaint little structure in itself, but at her size was enormous.  
  
She glanced up as she drifted under it, fascinated by the water reflecting off of the shiny wet stones and itself, making a hypnotic, ever-moving pattern of light, with tiny dark lines curving and crisscrossing over each other. She watched for a moment, then caught sight of her reflection and gave a HUGE wince. Her hair was wet and grimy, and hung in stringy tendrils around her face. Her skin was pale and mottled with bruises and cuts, and she reached up to touch a fresh one, almost amazed at the sight of her own blood. Her eyes were larger than normal and scared. She tried to force the fear out of them, with little luck.  
  
As she stared, the leaf started going faster, and the roar of a waterfall invaded her ears. She saw it and jumped up to grab an overhanging vine, just as the leaf went over.  
  
Once the vine was actually in her hands, though, she had no idea what to do. Hesitantly she started swinging in the direction of the shore, and the vine quickly picked up momentum. Soon she was able to jump - and land -successfully. She ran down the path and soon jumped onto another leaf, trying to follow her elusive brother.  
  
She guided it back and forth to avoid the "mean blue fish things," and soon disembarked when she saw Jeremy, perfectly dry (and clean), waiting at the shore.  
  
He beckoned and quickly started off, and she found that he was leading her to a shallow pool where there were several lily pads, and she groaned and asked if she had to go into the water again. He shook his head ("Nope. Over it, sis,") and hopped from lily pad to lily pad, and she stared after him disgustedly.  
  
Two ant soldiers stared also, but for entirely different reasons. They couldn't see Jeremy, but they could see how his weight manipulated the lily pads. All they saw were the centres dipping in suddenly, with two footprints. Mara would have ignored them; had they not shot at Jeremy. Even though the bullets passed harmlessly through, the mere fact that they had dared to shoot at her brother was infuriating, and she sent two croquet balls flying. As she waited for the mallet to reload, she let loose a barrage of cards, and impatiently reached for the next weapon: her trusty knife, and threw it hard as she could.  
  
They were both dead quite soon after that, and she smiled, satisfied that they wouldn't shoot at him anymore. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "You've become quite violent, sis," he remarked. Embarrassed, she sighed.  
  
"They tried to hurt you. I couldn't bear that."  
  
"I can't feel it," he said quietly. "Faith, you don't need to defend a ghost." She nodded sadly and walked over to the edge, where she jumped onto the lily pads and crossed the pool. Then she saw the little house. Curious, she walked over to it as Jeremy shrugged and vanished.  
  
She was about to knock when Cat appeared.  
  
"Finally! I have questions for you!" she exclaimed. He shook his head.  
  
"Not now. In this house is the Countess that you remember so dearly," he sneered. "I would advise you to take care while dealing with her."  
  
"...Dealing with her?" She asked.  
  
"Of course, dealing with her. Once you are finished, Rabbit will be waiting outside."  
  
She nodded, feeling it best to say nothing.  
  
"You do not understand," he said smugly. She continued nodding in agreement. He shook his head and vanished. She felt very much alone, and wasn't at all sure that she wanted to go inside that house. A lizard ran up, yelling.  
  
"Don't go in! The Countess is there, and-"  
  
Seeing the lizard's terrified face, she somehow knew that she had to go in, and she tried to pass. He stepped in front of her, quickly, and wouldn't budge when she tried to gently push him aside. "Why not?" she asked innocently, and as he started to reply, shoved him aside and went in. He stared after her in disbelief, and sighed, partially with relief. At least the Countess wouldn't want HIS company at dinner that night. 


	18. Chapter 18

Hastily Cat bounded to Caterpillar's Plot. A ladybug was of particular annoyance to him. He soon lost patience with all of the acorns dropping on him and pounced at it, batting her head off with one paw. She tumbled to the ground and he was just about to continue on his way when he stopped. It felt as though it had been a long - very long - time since his last meal, and his stomach was starting to rumble. He took a few bites but soon found her to be distinctly foul tasting, and left the carcass where it lay.  
  
"Caterpillar," he panted. Caterpillar bent in close to hear.  
  
"What is it?" he asked eagerly. Cat shook his head, indicating that the news wasn't terribly joyous.  
  
"She is about to meet the Countess," he said. Caterpillar winced and sighed.  
  
Cat sat down, every bit as glum as Caterpillar. "I've... posted Rabbit at the back door... just in case," he added quickly. Caterpillar thought for a moment and nodded. "I told him to wait for her, and to check on her through the window every few minutes - he'll be glued there for the entire time - and if Faith loses, he is to get his tail here as soon as possible."  
  
He started pacing, which Caterpillar ignored briefly but he soon grew a little impatient when Cat didn't stop. "You need something to do. But we are NOT letting you near the Countess; Cheshire Cat Soufflé is high up on her list of cravings, right next to Faith Soup. Hmmm..." he thought for a moment, then brightened as an idea hit him. "Why don't you have a chat with that therapist?"  
  
Cat brightened, and slowly vanished.  
  
He soon reappeared in the bedroom of a nice flat, which was apparently one of this man's heirlooms. Looking around, tail high in the air, he jumped on the bed. He nearly fell off when he saw the woman there.  
  
She was on her side, and at first glance he saw that she had fair skin, not pale like Faith's- darker, and was about medium height. He surveyed her further. She was wearing PJ bottoms and a tank top - nothing fancy. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a braid that fell about an inch or two past her shoulders. Reading glasses lay on the table next to her, and with her was a copy of "A Wrinkle in Time."  
  
He jumped over and landed on the widest part of her hip and watched her sleep. After a brief moment, she stirred, with the feeling of someone watching her.  
  
Jessica was, admittedly, not a cat person, and the mangy feline sitting on her hip did nothing to calm those feelings. It was disgustingly thin, and had strange markings, almost like tattoos, on its body. It even had an earring. For a moment, she laughed nervously. Punk Rocker Cat lives, she thought. What was most unnerving about it though, was the grin. It was wide, and she personally thought that even a dentist would faint at the sight of... its teeth. Oh, disgusting. They were sharp and yellow, with gross stuff on them... and what had to be the leg of some unfortunate... rather large insect sticking out between. But the cat never stopped grinning at her, and she recoiled as it prepared to jump.  
  
It jumped, and she cried out as it landed a square inch from her chest. It opened its mouth, and leered at her for just a moment. Then it got up and padded up to where it could stare straight into her face. She saw the hunger in its eyes, and shrunk back in fear.  
  
It kept coming, faster, and just as she thought she couldn't get away, it jumped right in front of her face and stared into her eyes. "Boo," it said, and she screamed as it leapt away, to perch on top of the wardrobe.  
  
At that moment, Halden came running in. "Jess! What's the matter?" he asked, alarmed. Trembling, she pointed up to the wardrobe, but the cat was gone. Then she saw it on a chair and pulled hard on her husband's sleeve. He whirled to face it, but the cat... vanished, and reappeared at the foot of the bed. This time he saw it and Jessica screamed and kicked it.  
  
It sailed high into the air and landed with a thud on the carpeting. Halden then saw that this was a very big cat- about two feet high at the shoulder, and it slowly got up. Then it jumped through an open window, fast. Halden opened the window and stopped suddenly. He had to open the window the cat had just jumped out of. He turned to Jessica, and judging by her expression, she had seen it, too. Wary and pale, he peered out. They were on the fourth floor, and the cat was nowhere in sight.  
  
There was a knocking at the door, and Halden slowly went to open it. Standing just outside was that man he'd met at the station... Cheshire. He didn't appear terribly surprised to see Halden, despite the fact that Halden was beyond amazed at seeing him. And a little disappointed.  
  
"Ah, you again."  
  
Jessica stared at the two of them strangely. She had hazel eyes, but they were grey now with confusion.  
  
"Have either of you, by chance, seen a dark brownish-grey cat anywhere?"  
  
Her eyes widened and she asked, "Was it, by chance, a rather tall cat- about two feet at the shoulder?"  
  
"That would be the one."  
  
"Then you should be under arrest, sir," she said, eyes flashing. "That thing was in abominable condition! Its fur was all matted and mangy and its teeth were repulsive, and-"  
  
Cheshire fixed her with a chilling glare. "It isn't mine," he sneered. His voice made the little hairs on her arms stand on end. "It stole something from me, and I want it back."  
  
"It's probably dead then," she said coldly. To her regret, it didn't have half the threatening quality his had. "It jumped out of a fourth-floor window, and no cat could survive that, no matter how big."  
  
He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his ears. "Forgive me. I am of the belief that cats have nine lives," he said calmly. She froze in anger, believing that he took her for an idiot. He smiled then, as if he knew what she was thinking. "He's already wasted one." 


	19. Chapter 19

Once Mara was inside, she was greeted with the overwhelming scent of pepper. It was tough restraining herself from sneezing, but nevertheless she walked around the room a little. It was shaped like a pentagon, with a wide fireplace in one corner, a big table opposite that, and several counters with cooking utensils carelessly strewn about. It was a highly inconvenient room, she thought. There was no bed and absolutely nowhere to go to the bathroom.  
  
Feeling strangely nervous, she made her way over to the table to see what lay on it. There were a few unfinished meals; what they had been when alive she did NOT want to know; liquors, and a large jack-in-the-box. She slowly reached across, stretching herself to reach, and grabbed it in her hand.  
  
Suddenly the fireplace blew out, and she jumped back several feet. From the mouth of the fireplace came a very large, very ugly woman. Her face was fat, as was she, had oversized lips and a Michael Jackson-esque nose. Her makeup was heavy and poorly done, and her dress was too tight in places that had expanded since she had been sent into exile, and the bosom of her dress was loose, giving that region a disfiguring appearance. Despite all this, Mara looked her over and smiled. "Countess! What a surprise to see you!" She looked around the room, expecting to see others come out. None came. "But where is Cook? And Baby?"  
  
"Cook? And Baby? They... left, long ago," Countess replied, rubbing her stomach absently. Mara felt an involuntary wave of first nervousness then revulsion. "After I was put on the Queen's wanted list, we've been in hiding... they were with me 'til the end..." Mara stepped back nervously. "Quite good with pepper, really. Ah well. Look at you! You've grown!"  
  
Mara hadn't thought that three inches in about seven years didn't really amount to much, but kept her mouth closed as Countess walked towards her. "My, my. Now, stand up straighter. I want to look at you."  
  
It was a very strange examination. First Countess pinched her cheeks, then her arms, all the while muttering, "How thin! How very thin she is! No meat on her at all!"  
  
Mara backed up uncomfortably. "Now, what was this nonsense about Cook and Baby being very good with pepper?" Her mind was spinning, and she had a nagging suspicion that Countess wasn't terribly concerned with her overall health. Countess laughed.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that, Dearie. That recipe won't quite work for you... I take it you'll be joining me for dinner?"  
  
"Recipe? Dinner?" she repeated dumbly. "I'm not really all that hungry." Countess gaped at her in surprise.  
  
"Not hungry! I can't believe that; you're half-starved. Now, come here, and we'll sit. And talk. And I'll eat."  
  
"Talk about what? This is all there is to say, isn't it? Or is there more? And where is Cook? And what are you going to do to me?" Her questions were getting more frantic, more heated as her frustration combined with her nervousness.  
  
"Now Dearie," Countess consoled. "Cook did not die for nothing. Neither did Baby... There's plenty more to say, besides. We have our blessings, in fact, the Queen-" suddenly she froze. "The Queen!" she whispered breathlessly. "Oh, this is perfect."  
  
Mara jumped up and backed away. "What about the Queen?" she asked, her voice tight and high.  
  
Countess turned to her. "Think! This is the perfect way to get back into her favour. You know I'm on her 'Wanted' list," she said piteously. "Imagine! Just for talking back to her!"  
  
"I'm number one," Mara informed her bluntly, and winced as the realisation dawned: that was the whole point of that particular segue.  
  
"Yes, and that's why this is so perfect! If I present your head to the Queen, and eat the rest, then I'll be back into her favour for sure!" Her eyes took on a wicked gleam, and she slowly advanced.  
  
"I really don't think that's a good idea," Mara warned, taking out her knife. It gleamed dull red and bright silver in the firelight, but Countess took no notice.  
  
"Of course you don't," Countess hissed, taking on a completely different demeanour suddenly. "You never think any idea is a good idea unless you thought of it first."  
  
"I don't follow," she said, bringing it up in throwing position.  
  
"You're always frustrated with some detail in every little plan," Countess jeered, taking out a hefty peppershaker. She started shaking pepper out, all over Mara, who started sneezing uncontrollably. She couldn't stop and doubled over coughing and choking. The knife fell from her hand, and she covered her mouth, trying to keep out that horrid pepper. Countess laughed and advanced, and hit her on the shoulder with the shaker. Mara's eyes flew open and she gasped in pain, just as Countess aimed a blow at her head, which would have connected if Mara hadn't doubled over coughing again. She stumbled over and staggered away. Countess advanced, almost drooling with the thought of eating her. "You never seem to like anything going on around you, do you? Always so quiet, so serious, when you're always thinking how very boring something is, how you'd love to do something else."  
  
"Shut up!" Mara shouted, and stood, making sure that the table was between them. Countess threw her peppershaker, and Mara dodged as it exploded, singeing her hair and some of her sweater. She fumbled around desperately for her knife but couldn't find it, and pulled out the jack-in-the-box instead. She cranked it clockwise and threw it in Countess' path as it started playing a very twisted, discordant version of "Pop goes the weasel!" and at the POP! the head shot out and let loose a solid stream of fire in Countess' face. Countess screamed and emerged, flaming and furious.  
  
Outside, Rabbit watched the flaming Countess advance, and hopped up and down, terrified. "Faith!" he shouted as Countess drew back to bite. "MOVE!!!"  
  
Mara moved all right, and dived under Countess' skirts, hitting her alongside the head with the croquet mallet before she could turn around and holding it there, letting the electricity pour into Countess's brain. Countess fell to her knees, and Mara saw the blade tucked into her bodice and wrenched it out, cutting as much of her as she could. Countess shrieked again and tried to bite her wherever she could reach.  
  
Countess grabbed her arm, trying to pull her down, but Mara pulled away. "Let GO of me!" she shrieked and kicked Countess away, then wound up the jack-in-the-box anticlockwise and threw it at Countess. It immediately popped up and began belching out white-hot fire in a circle. Once again Countess emerged, but she was staggering. She still managed to somehow sprinkle some pepper onto herself and disappeared, reappearing beside Mara and clutched onto her wrist before she could pull away.  
  
"You never liked me, you always wished everyone was somewhere else and when they were you wanted them to be with you again, you're never satisfied, never."  
  
Mara froze and felt her wish to see Countess dead slowly fade.  
  
"That's not true," she whispered. But her denial came too late, and Countess crumpled to the floor, hand still enclosed around Mara's in a death grip. "It's not true anymore."  
  
She stared at the body in shock. It was the first of her old friends that she had killed, and she let the knife fall to the floor. "No more," she whispered. "No more."  
  
Then Rabbit hurried in, and nodded quickly at the dead Countess. "Good work, now get a move on, we really must hurry!"  
  
"I can't," she whispered.  
  
"Of course you can! You're the descendant of Wonderland's greatest champion!" As he talked, he was simultaneously hurrying her along, pressing the blade into her hand, prying the Countess's loose from her wrist, strapping the croquet mallet to her back, strapping the jackbomb to it, and pushing her. Dazed, she merely walked along where he told her to, and finally was awakened out of her stupor by a glove slapping her face twice.  
  
She fell to her knees, in tears. "Why me, Rabbit? Why me?" she moaned. 


	20. Chapter 20

Halden and Jessica walked up to flat #52. He glanced at a slip of paper in his hand and knocked three times. Jessica waited by him, as he thought of what he was going to say. "It's okay, honey. Why're you so uptight about this?"  
  
"I honestly don't know, Jess. Judging by what little Faith told me of her stories, she'll probably be protective of them." He stopped as the door opened and a small, somewhat dumpy woman emerged. She had frizzy brown hair streaked lightly with grey, but had a pleasant face.  
  
"What can I do for you sir?" she asked.  
  
"Are you Jean?" he asked, startled.  
  
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm Jean's adoptive mother, Helen Crawford. She's inside. May I ask who's calling for her?" She opened the door for them. The flat was nice and clean; homely. Jessica felt comfortable inside it.  
  
They stepped in. "I'm Doctor Halden. There's a few questions I need to ask her about someone she knew long ago."  
  
Jean's mother nodded, and walked into the apartment, rapping softly on a door. "Jean? Honey, someone's here to see you." The door opened and a pretty teen came out. She was about Faith's height, though probably an inch taller. She was Chinese, with tanned skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair, which she had streaked with blue. She was wearing a black tank top and jeans, and she appraised the strangers a little warily.  
  
"Yeah?" Her voice was soft.  
  
"Hello," Jessica said. Jean nodded at the two in a cautious greeting.  
  
"Hi," he said, smiling. "My name's James Halden. Can I ask you a few questions? They're about a girl you knew about seven years ago who was a patient of mine up until about a week ago."  
  
Jean frowned, and nodded to her mother, who nodded back and left. "You're a doctor?" He nodded. "What kind?"  
  
"I'm a psychologist."  
  
"What's your wife doing here?"  
  
"I'm here just because," Jessica explained. "He asked me if I would come, and I said yes."  
  
Jean nodded in understanding and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a very sarcastic "Moral support?" but shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know anyone who's been a mental patient."  
  
Halden paused. "Did you ever know anyone by the name of Faith Maras?"  
  
At the mention of Faith's name, she stopped. "I know Faith- has something happened? Where is she?"  
  
"Hold on. Let me explain a little," he said, trying to calm her down a little. "After Faith's home burned down, she went into shock. She didn't really get the treatment she needed and the shock got worse. She's been in Rutledge Asylum for the past seven years, until now."  
  
"Rutledge Asylum? Ugh! Is she okay?"  
  
Here Halden hesitated. "Her first doctor was good, but he had so many patients at that point he couldn't give her the individualised attention she needed. He was starting to reach her, but was killed a few years after she arrived. The new Head of Asylum, Doctor Reynald, if anything made it worse. She went through several doctors, but frankly, they did nothing. Now..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Can I see her? We thought she'd been sent to an orphanage see, but we could never find her... Wow! Faith's been in London all this time! When can I see her?" She said all of this very fast.  
  
"The problem is that... well, she vanished the hour after I left. No one really knows where she is at all."  
  
"So what brings you here? Obviously we didn't know where she was."  
  
"He needs to ask you a few questions about her childhood," Jessica said. Jean nodded sceptically.  
  
"Did Faith ever tell stories?"  
  
"Sure. She and Jeremy both. They were great."  
  
"What kind of stories did they tell?"  
  
"Action, adventure, fantasy... you name it, they probably told it," Jean said.  
  
"Was there ever a Cheshire Cat?"  
  
"I dunno," Jean said, beginning to grow a little uneasy.  
  
"Okay. Just calm down. I'm sorry if I'm intimidating you."  
  
Jean didn't want to let him know just how nervous she was. Granted, Faith and Jeremy would know how she was feeling in an instant, but she wouldn't let this doctor know. She surveyed him for a moment. He didn't seem to be a millionaire, but was attired tastefully, in a soft grey shirt with a deep blue sweater over it, and black trousers. His sweater pulled out the blue in his eyes, and closer inspection revealed them to be blue-green. His black hair was naturally tousled, and Jean would have been surprised if Faith hadn't had even a tiny crush on him.  
  
"You're not intimidating me," she said.  
  
"Then the Cheshire Cat- did she ever describe a cat that grinned?"  
  
"Well, her cat grinned if she petted the right spot," Jean said guardedly. He voiced her thoughts.  
  
"Faith didn't have a cat."  
  
Jean couldn't help it. "Shite," she said.  
  
Rabbit had been unable to really console Mara, but he had got her to her feet and guided her partway down a stream, batting away snarks and ladybugs with his cane if ever they showed up, as he could not very well run and leave her there. Finally he had to call Cat to slap some sense into her.  
  
"Ow..." she whimpered. "I don't know, Cat. I feel so strange. I've killed so many but I've never killed a friend."  
  
"Yes, but she would have killed you," Rabbit grunted. He was straining to hold Faith up and not get caught by a weapon.  
  
"Be the one to strike first," Cat advised. "I believe you will last longer this way."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"You. Now, get going."  
  
"Both of you are always telling me to get going, and I want to know why!"  
  
"In this instance, we are hoping that you will find Caterpillar before the Queen's forces do."  
  
She stared at him as she had in the cave. He stepped back, briefly. Was she intimidating him? He met her gaze and bore into her mind. He revealed nothing; try as she might to see.  
  
Rabbit, meanwhile, merely watched the exchange with curious interest, but quickly grew bored. He felt strangely nervous, but if Cat saw the signs, he ignored him. Mara was completely distracted, he saw, and felt his agitation rise. He hopped around for a moment, smelling the air for enemies, half-hoping a bug of some sort would interrupt the staring match.  
  
He was most relieved when a huge roach crashed through the brush, and skidded to a halt in front of them. Mara's eyes bugged and Rabbit almost laughed at the strangled scream that she tried to hold back. "Good evening, friend. What news?"  
  
"Nothing good," the Roach replied gruffly. "She's been increasing the number of card guards in her army, and more chess pieces..." Mara stopped listening at that point- she didn't want to know what she was up against- she only wanted to know how to get there. "Tell me if I'm missing any directions, 'kay?" she asked Rabbit. He nodded, and then Cat interrupted the Roach.  
  
"What do they know of Faith?"  
  
"They know that she's here, but not where, that she has an alias, but they aren't sure what. They don't quite know where she is yet, but I'm pretty sure a body count will lead them to wherever she is."  
  
"How do they know all of this?" Rabbit asked incredulously.  
  
"There's a general of the Queen's. He uncovers so many of our plots and he has got so many of us killed, it's ridiculous."  
  
"How do you find out what's going on?" Mara asked him.  
  
"Being brown and less than three inches has its advantages," he told her, then resumed his original conversation, deciding that it was infinitely more important.  
  
They discussed current plots, and Mara quickly grew bored, seeing as how none of them dealt (directly) with her. She sighed and let her mind wander, letting her feet carry her away. The three were engrossed in conversation and failed to notice. So did she.  
  
She didn't really realise that she was walking as she placed one foot in front of the other and walked; she didn't realise that she was even moving at the time. She turned to ask Cat a question, but stopped when she discovered that she was in a completely unfamiliar part of the woods, and the others were nowhere in sight. Nervously she continued walking, aware that she was completely lost this time. It seemed that she walked for a very long while. She climbed up onto a rock and gazed around, trying to get her bearings. She couldn't see anyone, she thought nervously, and slid down, resuming her aimless walking, eventually walking into a shallow pool, where she stopped, confused at the sudden inertia.  
  
It was some time later when Cat appeared before her. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"Rabbit is unhappy with you," he purred.  
  
"Can't imagine why," she drawled sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow. "What do I do now?"  
  
"Climb out of the water and I might help you," he said. She sighed and got out, and was dry in short order. They walked, and eventually he turned to face her.  
  
"You've improved," he said. She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How, Cat? I feel about as pathetic as I did when I first got here."  
  
"You're not," he assured her. "When you first came here, I don't believe that you would have cared whether Countess tried to eat you or not."  
  
"Perhaps," she said quietly. "I dunno. I feel awful about killing her."  
  
"Whatever for? It was your choice to kill her or become a meal. You chose (rightly) the former."  
  
She sighed. "I'll cope. You know I will. I just feel... guilty, I suppose."  
  
"Don't think that she would have troubled herself with the same feeling," he warned. She nodded. "Besides, guilt only sets you back, more so than anything else you might feel."  
  
"Thanks, Cat."  
  
He nodded and was about to reply when suddenly he stumbled as a musketball grazed his ear. He promptly vanished, and her head snapped up. She sent out two seeking cards and they soon found their target. She started towards it when a huge explosion from a few centimetres beside her sent her flying at least two feet. She ran until she saw the general and took out her mallet and knife as she ran at him. She ducked musketballs and dodged grenades as she ran and brought the mallet to the side of his head once she was close enough. The mallet and the head connected, and the general reeled from the impact, wondering why it was suddenly having so much trouble keeping its balance.  
  
She slashed at it and it reeled, throwing a clumsy punch that didn't connect. "Some general you are," she taunted, and hit it with the mallet again and it fell, but she had no time to gloat as another ant rushed at her. She evaded the punches, but the soldier's bayonet whipped through her hair, cutting half of it short. In return she shaved off about an inch of skin on its shoulders, and knocked its head back with her elbow then brought her knife down, ignoring the green fluid that was pouring from its wounds.  
  
There was a shrill squeaking from behind and she ran. "Oh god, oh god, why NOW?!" she shrieked. The ants gathered closer around her, and she saw that they had her right where they wanted her. Panicking, she jumped at a mushroom, propelling herself onto a vine and swung onto the next, then another.  
  
"This way!" Rabbit shouted, gesturing for her to follow. She did, and landed on some white fungi growing out of the tree. Rabbit pulled her up to another, and they jumped to a higher one. Even then they weren't entirely safe from the barrage of musketballs and grenades that the ants were firing at them in abundance.  
  
"Get to the east side of the tree!" he shouted above the noise. "The Cheshire Cat will give you instructions there!" Then he jumped and was very soon out of sight. She ran to the edge, looking down at the horde below, and knew that the only way she could go was up.  
  
"Which way's east..?" she asked helplessly. 


	21. Chapter 21

He hesitated outside his room, leaning his head against the doorjamb as he tried to think. He had only just escaped from a banquet, and one thought that crossed his head was that the food had muddled his mind. The Queen's banquets did that to people, whether you ate her food or not. His mind had started clearing when two heart guards walked by. Seeing the general, they immediately stopped and went into a picture-perfect salute. He acknowledged them and waved them by. They marched off, talking in low voices.  
  
Ignoring them, he sighed and pushed the black-and-red doors to his room open.  
  
They opened into a large, relatively plain room with no windows. The carpeting was black, the walls were deep red. Pigeon's blood ruby, he decided for the thousandth time. In the centre, though to his left a little, was a table that was made out of some naturally red wood from the Forest, with a bowl of fruit on it. Apples, oranges... run-of-the-mill rarities that she left lying about. Fruit of any kind was rare in Wonderland. Except the rotten kind.  
  
To the right, a bookshelf lay against the wall, made of the same red wood as the table. Books were piled carelessly onto it; he would straighten them later. As he went farther, he stopped, for another thousandth time, at a statue of the headless Cheshire Cat, apparently one of the Queen's favourite memories. He stared at it, no emotion crossing his handsome features. He turned away and gazed at the panel that separated this room from his living quarters.  
  
It was almost all window; about eleven feet high and sixteen feet long. About two feet at the bottom was wood, as well as the frame. The stained glass, frosted for privacy, depicted an ancient battle that Alice had fought all of those years ago. It showed her and her friends on one side... all eight of them. The Cheshire Cat, Caterpillar, Mayor Elder, White Rabbit, White King, Gryphon, Bill McGill and the Mock Turtle. On the other side were Alice's foes (that weren't on the Queen's wanted list, of course): the Centipede, the Tweedles, the Hatter... here his lip curled into an undeniable sneer, and he proceeded. There was the Red King alongside the Queen, and then there was the Jabberwock. Behind all of these were their forces, and pathetic-looking subjects - dwarves and the like - in the foreground marvelled at them in their power.  
  
His brooding gaze turned to the centre. One would have thought that it would hold something staggering, like the blunderbuss or the Heart of Darkness. But it was an ordinary pocket-watch, but it had staggering significance. For all of them.  
  
He stepped up to it and the doors slid open. He stepped into his room, and didn't bother to hide the wince of disgust at it. This room had red walls as well, but the carpeting was white. The room was somewhat heart-shaped, so much of the furniture and the walls were angular, but it was so big that it was not easily noticeable, about which he was fairly relieved. There was a long desk/bureau to his right that bent in the middle, keeping close to the wall. Just beyond the end was a walk-in closet, with about four rails and five drawers. Every uniform there was unique, and he had already picked the one for the ball.  
  
Turning, he surveyed the bed. It was heart-shaped as well, but this was done so ostentatiously that absolutely no one could mistake the shape. He winced; he hated that bed.  
  
Ignoring the bed and the calling, he turned and surveyed a small desk that was up against one of the smaller straight sides. It was the simplest object of furniture in the room, and this is where he sat. Glancing at the door once, he pressed a button under his chair, and the entire floor revolved, leaving an exact replica of the desk and chair- only without a button or occupant.  
  
He was in a small, dark room with a low ceiling and a few low beams. He bumped his head on one as he paced, and he swore at it. Then he sat down at the chair and stood up again. This repeated several times until it appeared as though he had made up his mind, and he sat and pressed the button.  
  
Soon after, he was walking at a fairly good clip towards the throne room. The Queen's servants and subjects glanced up as he entered, but soon resumed their conversations. The Queen herself was seated on her throne, brooding about something.  
  
"What ails you, Majesty?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing of your concern, General."  
  
"Then may I give you news that I have discovered?"  
  
"What might that be? Tell me what it is about before you tell me what it is."  
  
"It is about Faith, Milady." She grew first worried, then angry, and a hush settled over the throne room. He remained calm. He had known that mentioning Faith in front of the Queen's subjects was not the best of ideas. Faith was the only one that the Queen feared, and to alarm her in front of the court could mean death.  
  
"If you want to keep your head, General, you would be more careful."  
  
"I apologise, Milady. May I give you the news?" She thought it over carefully.  
  
"In four words or less, General."  
  
"Faith is coming."  
  
Exhausted, Mara leaned against the trunk. She was positive that she had been to every compass direction on that tree, and she felt no closer to finding Cat than she had at the start. Rabbit had said that Cat had instructions for her. She yawned.  
  
"You took your sweet time," Cat drawled behind her.  
  
"Rabbit said you had instructions for me," she said, shaking off the sleepiness.  
  
"Oh, did he?"  
  
"Yes, he did," she said impatiently. Then she decided that she'd spent entirely too much time with Rabbit as of late.  
  
"Do you remember Caterpillar, Faith?"  
  
"Mara. Stinks, unpleasant. Smokes too much. What about him?"  
  
"I wouldn't ask you if he didn't have a purpose."  
  
"You mean I have to talk to him again?"  
  
"Very quick you're getting to be."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Cat laughed at her irritation and didn't reply.  
  
"So does he still laze around his mushrooms and ask annoying riddles? Or is he portable and straightforward?"  
  
"He is the rock of Wonderland," Cat replied silkily. Mara grimaced.  
  
"I adore your comparisons," she ground out.  
  
"Why, thank you. I'm rather fond of them myself." With that, he vanished. She sighed and peered over the edge. The next fungus was about a foot below her. She did a little math in her head, and decided that at three inches, a foot would twenty feet at five feet tall. Frustrated, she jumped off of the fungus, landing safely on one about a foot and a half below on another bit. Then she jumped again, slipped, and landed on the ground with a thud and a yelp. Ignoring the ladybugs circling overhead, she started walking in the direction that she had originally been going, and was fairly relieved to meet up with Rabbit.  
  
Rabbit saw her progression down the tree and winced as she hit the ground. Cautiously he hopped closer then ducked under a blade of grass as a ladybug flew overhead, bearing a particularly large acorn. It didn't see him, and continued on its path. He hesitated and saw Faith take out a deck of cards. Once the ladybug was close, she sent the deck flying at it. He could swear he heard it shriek, and he watched it fall to the ground, thirty-two razor-like cuts crisscrossing its body. The acorn landed a short distance away from them both, and he was relieved that she had killed the bug so soon.  
  
"Come along, Faith! We are very nearly there!"  
  
Mara nodded, panting, and when Rabbit turned his back, kicked the ladybug's carcass once or twice, pressed down on her heavily bleeding elbow, and then followed.  
  
"Can't you slow down any, Rabbit?" she groaned, and clutched at the stitch that was prominently throbbing in her side. He turned his head briefly in negation and darted between two blades of grass. She followed, and the second she was in the open a rose broke out of the soil and started shooting thorns at her. She yelped and backed up behind the grass. It was cheap protection, however; a thorn nearly tore through. "What the hell?" she muttered and peeked out, knife in tow. When she saw that the rose was stuck solidly in the ground, she felt braver and stepped out, throwing the knife as thorns whistled past her.  
  
It sliced through a thorn that was coming at her and continued on unhindered until it struck the base of the flower, and it stopped shooting. She didn't trust it, and threw her knife again for good measure once it reappeared. The rose sagged, and fell to the ground, leaving an acidic pool of sap behind. She jumped over it but landed just short, as per usual. When the acid started eating into her boots she threw herself forwards, landing on her stomach.  
  
Struggling up to a sitting position on her knees, Mara looked over her shoulder, checking the damage. "Erm..." she muttered in surprise, noting that the left heel was almost halfway burned off in the back. She stood shakily, checking to see how badly it impaired her motion. She paused at the imbalance and tore them off, checking them from the side. One heel was about a quarter-inch lower and she ruefully dunked the higher one in, already missing that height.  
  
A strange noise from nearby startled her and she stood, abandoning the boots for a moment. An ant was silhouetted through a blade of grass, its musket trained on her. Mara didn't stop to think as she drew out her knife and threw it. But almost immediately after she felt the ball go deep into her, somewhere between her chest and her left shoulder. She gasped as she felt the bullet stop at her shoulder blade, embedding itself inside the muscle. She leaned forward and sat, not caring that the ant had survived, though its condition was comparably worse than hers.  
  
Rabbit hopped back, searching for Faith again, and heard the sound of musket fire. Ordinarily, that would be the last thing he would be running to, but he knew that the only one that they would be firing at was her. "HOLD ON FAITH!!!" he yelled, and set himself at full speed to the sound.  
  
He stopped dead when he found them. The ant was completely crumpled, trying to breathe through the blood that gushed out of his throat. Rabbit stared, horrified at the sight, though gratified that it was an ant soldier and not Faith. Then he turned to her and recoiled from the wound in her shoulder. "Faith!"  
  
"No, I'm all right," she rasped.  
  
"Liar! What happened?" He hopped all around her, checking the wound, making sure it wasn't deadly, and only stopped when she batted him away with her good arm.  
  
"It had better be will that determines where these things go," she threatened. "If it isn't, I'm toast."  
  
He didn't want to agree, but he had to admit that it seemed that she was totally right in that count. "Listen, Faith. It's your will that determines where those weapons of yours go. We are very nearly to Caterpillar. Come, we must hurry!"  
  
He saw her wipe some the sweat and dirt off of her face and out of her eyes and stand, clutching the knife in her other hand. For a moment he stared. "What is it?" she asked, sounding confused. He shook his head again, and nervously hopped around, almost dancing between her and the ant.  
  
"Get your boots on," he said tersely. "We must get going." Without waiting for her to reply, he took them up, muttering about time-wasting, and waited impatiently as she pulled them up and tied them one-handed. If she hadn't been so awkward he would have screamed.  
  
He was undeniably relieved when she finally managed to tie them, and bounded off the second she was standing. She followed close behind. 


	22. Chapter 22

Mara remembered how when she - when Faith - was little, when she got a cut, she could always run to Mama, crying about her "Owie." Her mother had always cleaned and bandaged the cut and then kissed it to make it feel all better. And then it always had, and she would run off to Jeremy, proudly showing off her "bandie." He would laugh at her, but she'd never cared. Then she remembered how she had once cut herself accidentally at the asylum, soon after Reynald had taken over, bringing Emelia with him.  
  
She had been watching something... the raven, perhaps, and had absently taken a step backwards. Only she had been standing on the edge of the bed where she could see it better, and when she had stepped back, she'd fallen clear off the bed, scraping her elbow on the handle of the little closet where her uniform and dress were kept.  
  
She remembered sitting there for a while, not really sure if she was imagining the red blood that slowly dripped off her elbow onto the floor, or the pain and the rhythmic dripping sound that accompanied it. She just remembered that Lucy had come in to find her sitting there, gazing off into space, a small pool of blood at her side. Lucy had screamed, but Faith had merely continued sitting there, not caring, even when Reynald burst in, bellowing about the 'problem patient.' Alliteration. She laughed at the absurdity of it.  
  
Rabbit kept Faith in his sights, though he couldn't help but wonder if she was turning into one of the mad children. She was laughing at nothing and that was strange for her. And she seemed to have forgotten how to walk in a straight line. But he knew that she wasn't drunk. He stopped near a stream, beating a foot against the ground in nervous irritation. She was going to be the death of him one day. And if not her, that infernal Cheshire Cat.  
  
He stopped thumping - it was very quiet. There was no helicopter-like sound of the ladybugs' wings... no sounds of ant soldiers marching. He would not abandon stealth now, if he could help it. Many many years ago, he had done that and ended up on the bottom of Hatter's shoe.  
  
He saw her coming, hesitantly, not really sure of what was bothering him. She gave him a questioning look, and he nodded edgily. She walked up to him, and but stopped her with a paw. "What's going on?"  
  
"Shut up, Faith. What do you hear?"  
  
"A crusty bunny," she replied crossly. He glared at her.  
  
"Once you're done playing, tell me seriously: can you hear anything; anything at all?"  
  
Faith stopped and listened. "I can hear this thumping. It's coming this way, but very faint."  
  
He nodded, hearing it himself. "We must find a place to hide," he said firmly.  
  
"Hide?" she asked blankly. "Why?"  
  
"Because the last time this happened, the result was very messy." She raised an eyebrow at this.  
  
"I still don't see- WHOA!!"  
  
A giant foot had just landed directly between them. Mara backed up slowly, but Rabbit stood completely still. He was on the inside of the foot, and that if he moved - THUD! Another foot landed, just on Rabbit's other side. Once it had, he bounded out of the way, over the one closest to her, and grabbed her hand, not noticing or caring that it was her bad arm that he had taken.  
  
The feet turned and thundered towards them, trying to step on them, and they separated Faith from Rabbit. "CONFUSE IT!!!" Rabbit yelled. Mara nodded, and started running in erratic directions, jumping over the feet when they landed in front of her, dodging them when they landed to the side. Rabbit did the same, only much faster.  
  
It was a complicated dance, and Mara knew how it would end if it continued much longer, so she grabbed Rabbit by the ear and jumped into the nearby river, cutting loose a lily pad as quickly as she could. Once it was free, she pulled herself onto it, dragging Rabbit with her.  
  
"We're going the wrong way!!" he shrieked.  
  
"Do you wanna get squished?!" she shouted back, diving back in and pushing it to where the current carried them up instead of down.  
  
Rabbit wasn't much help. He kept hopping around as much as the confined space would allow, and almost fell over. Finally, she managed to get to the other current, and they were sailing up as fast as they had come down. She groaned when she saw that the feet were waiting. She still couldn't see who they belonged to.  
  
She bit her lip, wondering how to avoid it. Something moving in the water caught her eye, and she grabbed at it. The snark was not at all happy about being grabbed by the tail from behind, and twisted frantically as it tried to bite and spit at her. She threw it hard as she could at the legs, and saw just how much damage the little bugger could do as it slid up the being's left trouser leg, biting and spitting in panic all the way.  
  
They passed by safely, with the person bracing on a cane and shaking its leg frantically, trying to get it off. She grinned at Rabbit in relief, and he stared back, borderline between exasperated and impressed. "Can you do anything without endangering yourself in the process?" he snapped. She stopped grinning, hurt.  
  
"Or you," she returned heatedly. He glared back.  
  
"Faith, guess which one of us is more important!"  
  
"Yeah, and guess which one of us is more self-important," she returned, sounding spiteful even to herself, although she knew that she was lying.  
  
This time, Rabbit seemed hurt, but it was quickly replaced by anger. "If you spent half as much energy on your fighting as you do alienating friends, you'd be a force to be reckoned with indeed! But right now, if I were an ant, I'd be laughing too hard at you to even think of fighting!"  
  
"So is that the only reason I win?" she snapped.  
  
"Probably!" he retorted. Her mouth dropped open in shock.  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
So they sat there, not looking at or speaking to each other as they were carried still further upstream. When Rabbit finally stood and said, "Get ready to jump," she was stiff from not moving, and she wobbled stood at the edge with him. He took her hand in his paw, and her head whipped over to face him, startled. Then they jumped.  
  
Rabbit landed on his feet, but was quickly pulled down when Mara missed her footing and had to crouch low to keep from falling. He wrestled his hand away from her and impatiently started inland. She rose and followed, absently fiddling with her knife. "Come along, Caterpillar is waiting."  
  
"What does he have to tell me that you or Cat can't?" she asked.  
  
"He... knows what to ask and what to tell. We don't."  
  
"That doesn't make much sense," she said shortly.  
  
"Let me offer you some practical advice..." an all-too familiar voice drawled behind her.  
  
"Practical?" she drawled back. Cat raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Stop looking for good sense and settle for any," he said, mocking eyes staring into hers. She turned away.  
  
"I stopped looking for good sense long ago. What does he mean, that there are some things that you don't know what to ask or to tell?"  
  
Cat started walking alongside her, the two following Rabbit at some distance. The foliage around them grew steadily denser, and mushrooms more and more frequent.  
  
"There are things that are right for us to say - but many that you would benefit most from Caterpillar telling you."  
  
"And there are some things he knows that you don't," she needled.  
  
"Just as there are many things that we know and YOU don't," he replied calmly. She frowned.  
  
"Are we almost there? I don't want anything else to happen until we find him."  
  
"What you want is not always what you get," he reminded her, and she sighed in exasperation. Rabbit stopped, and waited.  
  
"We have two choices now: we can go this way... or we can go underground." He didn't sound terribly thrilled at either idea. He and Cat watched her, waiting for her to decide. She thought ahead to all of the grass and plants and rocks that could easily be shelter for several ants. What could possibly happen underground that was worse?  
  
"I think that I'd rather be underground than above," she admitted. Rabbit nodded and led her to a small hole. It was a very short drop, and he went down first, with her following very shortly (for once landing on her feet). They walked some ways, while the light from the hole grew steadily dimmer. For a moment, it disappeared completely, and there was a slight crashing sound. Moments later, it reappeared, with a strange shadow getting closer to them.  
  
Rabbit turned. Half a second later, he whirled back around and rushed forwards. She turned too for a moment, then started running as well from the marble behind them that rapidly picked up speed. "RABBIT! I'm gonna kill you if we make it through this!!" she shrieked as the ground rumbled beneath her feet.  
  
"This was YOUR choice!!" he shrieked back. She glanced over her shoulder a few times, and thought about the time when she'd looked in the mirror in Daddy's car and had seen the truck following them but when she had twisted around to look, it had been bearing down on them. Then there had been the horn, then the screech of tires, then the breaking glass and twisting metal...  
  
It was like that, only everybody had been fine then. Now, it was doubtful that she would ever meet Caterpillar again, or face the Queen. She stole another glance and it was bearing down on her like that truck, and she ran faster than even she thought she could. The narrow path was curving gently, but headed downhill all the same. The marble picked up speed, and she begged her legs not to give out.  
  
Rabbit stopped, just a little ways ahead where the road ended in a chasm, and only a few mushrooms were growing out of the cliffs. Once Faith ran by he grabbed her by the waist and jumped onto the first mushroom, over to a second, then a tiny plateau way over to the side. Using the momentum, he jumped to another mushroom that grew just out of the far cliff's wall, and they were hurled to the middle of the path, and were both running for their lives.  
  
He pulled ahead quickly. "Why are we still running?" Faith called from behind. He turned and pointed, still running. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw the marble still chasing them. "OH!"  
  
"Don't worry! We'll be going uphill in a moment!" he shouted. That was an understatement, as his idea of 'uphill' was a sheer rock cliff. As the marble neared, he jumped and started climbing. She jumped too, though she didn't get as high. But he was startled when she started climbing very much like a spider, quickly and easily - even with her injured arm. Rabbit was impressed.  
  
They climbed quickly. Then when they had almost reached the top, a shot rang out and Rabbit's hat went flying off his head. He caught it and hugged the cliff wall, ducking under a small outcropping. 


	23. Chapter 23

Mara had no shelter, so she relied on her climbing skills to manoeuvre herself to a spot where she could see her attackers better. Nervously she drew out her cards and let them fly at the ants, who had not yet seen her.  
  
It was a spectacular show. The cards attacked from every direction, and the ants couldn't find where they had come from. She took out her mallet, wedged the head inside a groove in the rocks, and pulled herself up to where she could take out her jack-in-the-box, wind it, and hurl it at them. It landed in their midst, cranking out its discordant tune. The ants drew around it, captivated. They didn't notice when the song ended, but they did notice the flames that suddenly engulfed them.  
  
She hauled herself up, taking the mallet. But there was no need for it, as the flames had killed those that had survived.  
  
Rabbit pulled himself up. "Good work," he said, and gestured for her to hurry. "We still have some distance to go, and very little time to do it in." She nodded, and followed.  
  
"It's very cold," she said as they entered another tunnel. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that there wasn't another marble to make her life miserable again.  
  
"That's a good sign," he said, glancing around quickly. "We're on the right track."  
  
They made their way through, and as they progressed it grew steadily colder. Soon, the damp dirt walls of the tunnel were coated with ice, and the two slipped and occasionally fell in a few icy patches that lay on the ground. Not long after, she was shivering through her sweater, and Rabbit's breath came out in rapid clouds.  
  
Soon, the ground had turned completely to ice like a glacier's: pale blue and so cold it was steaming. Frozen in the ice were several ants, and a ladybug, long dried out, lay on its back on the ice, wings frozen over.  
  
Mara's head felt heavy, and she picked up a strand of hair, confused. It was stiff with a thin layer of frost. She shook her head a few times, and icicles spilled out of her hair in tiny shards. Rabbit glared at her, and she stopped, a little discomfited.  
  
"Rabbit?"  
  
"What?" His tone was a little sharp.  
  
"Never mind," she muttered.  
  
"All right," he replied.  
  
"Rabbit?"  
  
"What?" Maybe a little sharper this time. She decided that it was probably the cold that was making him cranky, and pressed on.  
  
"How much longer will we be in here?"  
  
"What, have you a dentist appointment?" he asked mockingly.  
  
"No, but you're certainly reminding me of his assistant right now."  
  
He stopped and turned, glaring as he had never done before. "Come, you're wasting too much time, with all of your petty insults."  
  
He took off at a run, and she followed, muttering that he'd started it. But still, running felt much more refreshing than walking.  
  
They ran for a while, but Cat appeared in the middle of their path, and Rabbit stopped short. But Mara slid and crashed into him, and Rabbit went flying.  
  
"This is vaguely familiar," Cat murmured, very close to her ear. She stopped, face burning with exertion and embarrassment.  
  
"Both times were accidents," she whispered back. He raised an eyebrow. Rabbit hopped up to them, very disgruntled.  
  
"Yes, Cheshire?"  
  
"We need you at the council - he struck again. And Caterpillar and I think that he's not working alone."  
  
"Again?!" Rabbit exclaimed, hopping back in his alarm. "How? When? Not alone?"  
  
"While you were playing with the marble. The usual way. That will be explained."  
  
Rabbit winced, and she decided that "the usual way" was not a good thing. But she would ask Caterpillar when she found him, however she managed that.  
  
She had been lost in the ice caves for about an hour. When Rabbit had gone, he was in such a frustrated state that he had left her with no instructions, no guidance to find her way. So she had kept going straight, but she only found more dead bugs and a few degrees' drop in temperature. She thought of an old rule: "You don't know you're going the wrong way until you're about an half-hour's worth into it." She felt that way now, except this time she didn't even know what the right way was.  
  
A small crack in the cavern wall caught her eye, and she stepped up to it. It was apparently part of a cave-in, and it led to an even bigger cavern than the one she was in. It was wide and deep and there was only a small, twisted bridge formation in the rocks. She hesitated, but quickly decided that anything was better than where she was already.  
  
It took some manoeuvring, but she was soon on her back and sliding herself through the very small hole. Instead of rock though, her feet felt air, and she let herself slide only a little, until she could see where she was going. If she missed, it was a very long way down.  
  
Slowly, she let herself down until she felt a small ledge underneath her feet. She slid down all the way, searching for the bridge. It was about a foot below, and it was a rather tough climb. She liked climbing up.. but climbing down, where she couldn't always see where she was going, worried her.  
  
The bridge was narrow, crooked and slippery; she almost couldn't get her balance the first time she stepped on. She took it at a walk.  
  
It ended abruptly, where it had apparently shattered. She stopped on a ledge perched in the middle of a long, dark chasm, and probably any drop over a foot and a half could kill her. The bottom of the chasm, however, was a VERY long way down. Mara craned her neck, looking for more of the bridge, finding the other side to be about ten feet away. Hopefully, she could make it. She closed her eyes and jumped.  
She was slowed by a huge burst of cold air. Slowly, she opened one eye. Then the other. She was floating.  
  
Cautiously she held out a hand, feeling for where the vent ended. When it didn't at a full arm's length, she edged herself forwards a little. Still a gust of air. She went farther forward.  
  
Suddenly, inexplicably, the flow stopped, and she started falling, falling faster than she'd ever gone. She saw ground approaching, and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the final impact.  
  
None came. Instead, a hole opened and air shot out in a gust of foggy air that smelled vaguely of sulphur. She was propelled upwards and grabbed onto an overhanging ledge, and stayed there for a moment, breathing deeply. Then the flow of air stopped, and she felt a strong pulling feeling, that was headed downwards, and she held on tightly, though she still felt her arms slipping.  
  
When it stopped and blew air out again, it was accompanied by a long, low snore. She stared at it, and suddenly realised that she was staring at a huge mouth - huge even by normal standards. Intrigued, she edged her way around the wall to get a better view. It was a man's face, made entirely of stone, and he was sleeping. She got the feeling that he had not been awakened in years. "H-hello?" she called, voice cracking. Her voice echoed through the silent cavern, and she looked up in surprise as her voice came showering back on her, accompanied by a few drops of water.  
  
"Hello?" she called, a little louder. There was more water when her voice bounced back. The face snorted several times as water trickled down all over him, but did not wake up. Getting impatient, she took out the jackbomb, cranked it, and threw it. It landed on his nose and promptly exploded. The face snorted awake. It suddenly occurred to Mara that not only was that a very painful way to wake someone up, she wasn't even sure if he was a friend.  
  
"Who's there?" he boomed. This time the water fell from the ceiling in torrents, and Mara was almost immediately drenched. And extremely cold.  
  
"My name is Fai-Mar-, no..."  
  
"Well, if you don't know who you are, why don't you say so?"  
  
She was a little taken aback by the question. "I don't know that, either," she admitted.  
  
"So, you're the one that the earth has been whispering about. Three inches tall," he laughed. "That'll have the Queen in a fit."  
  
"Are you one of them?" she asked, drawing out the mallet. He chuckled again, probably at her: tiny as a slug with a croquet mallet, she realised in some chagrin.  
  
"No, I give information to those who survive long enough to meet me... sometimes I give aid."  
  
"Why do I get wet whenever someone talks?" she asked. The cold water did nothing for her spirits or her temper.  
  
"Merely sound bouncing off the ceiling. It's quite moist up there, so the water is loosened enough to fall. Quite the strange question for the champion's heir."  
  
She was a little embarrassed by that. "Who are you?" she asked quickly.  
  
"I am the lord of Ice and Rock. I haven't been awakened in over 200 years."  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologised.  
  
"No, do not regret that. Very few can awaken me. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome... why are you thanking me?"  
  
"Now that I am awake, I can awaken the rocks." She was puzzled. He saw her blank stare and continued. "I can summon my army of stone, which will easily penetrate the Queen's forces - and her castle is made of stone. I can destroy it with a word, with her in it."  
  
It was a tempting offer. She wavered between options. It could be so easy... "What happens after they've finished?"  
  
"They live until I sleep again," he replied calmly. "And frankly, I am not feeling terribly tired now."  
  
She thought. What if he awakened them, with her consent, and turned out to be on the Queen's side, with no intention whatsoever of destroying her? "Whose side are you on? Mine or the Queen's?"  
  
"I do not support that witch," he thundered. "She poisons this land and kills my brothers and sisters. I cannot support one who does that."  
  
And what if he turned out to be a worse tyrant than the Queen? What if he summoned his army, destroyed the Queen, and took power himself? She didn't fancy her chances against monsters made of ice or rock. 'Besides,' a voice in the back of her head chimed in, 'what about you? What will you have accomplished? You'll have accomplished nothing, you might even make yourself weaker than you were before.' Mara made her decision. "I'll send someone for you if I need help," she said. "The Cheshire Cat, perhaps."  
  
"Don't be so quick to trust your friends," he warned. "Even the Cheshire Cat." She frowned, startled.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I cannot say, but it is a warning even in my bones." She felt her stomach twist into tiny knots.  
  
"I can't ask you for your aid," she finally said. "I'm sorry, your offer is very tempting..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"I have to do this on my own. Before and after my home was destroyed, someone else fought my battles for me. I have to do this myself."  
  
He smiled widely. "Good girl," he said. "You have grown."  
  
She smiled wryly. "I guess that I should find out how to get out of here," she said, looking up at the mountain of very tall rock that she would have to climb. "Growing would help."  
  
"I shall take care of transportation," he said simply. "And I have something for you - a gift that will prove quite useful, I am hoping." She cocked her head questioningly. "This has not been seen since the days of Alice. Use it well."  
  
He opened his mouth, and something floated out. It was a wand, exquisitely in beautiful. The handle was silver, with delicately carved figures. It led to a collar and guard that was shaped like the body of a butterfly, with the wand part being the wings, folded up. The wand itself was made of three pointed spires of gleaming ice, and it fairly radiated power. She took it and stared at it, awed.  
  
"My god," she whispered. "Is this real?"  
  
"Of course it is," he said. "You're holding it now. Will you accept it?" Wordlessly she nodded. "Jump over my mouth and I will send you up to that high ledge. Agreed?" She nodded again. He inhaled deeply, and just as he exhaled, she jumped.  
  
She shot up amazingly fast, and was at the high ledge in less than a few seconds. Carefully she put the wand away and took out her knife. She didn't want to risk firing the wand at something benign by accident. It didn't seem the type of gift to use against ladybugs, either.  
  
Once she was at the top, she found herself on the other side of the chasm, and smiled with relief, but that soon melted away into a frown. She was now doubting Cat and Rabbit - and Caterpillar. But then, she'd never really trusted the smushy layabout to begin with. Could she trust anybody now? She shook off those thoughts and trotted over to another cavern, but this one was widely open and much warmer. She basked in the warmth for a moment, and headed to the edge of the tunnel. Just beside it was another jackbomb, which she took.  
  
When she entered the tunnel, the last thing she expected to see was a bridge made of some unfortunate animal's spine. She curled her lip in disgust, but shook it off and started across. It buckled underneath her once, but she hurried and made it over all right. Once again, there was a deep chasm, but it was narrow so she jumped across, down onto a grassy area where mushrooms thrived, and a Caterpillar and a Cheshire Cat sat waiting. 


	24. Chapter 24

"Who are you?" Caterpillar asked.  
  
She stopped short. Who WAS she? Was she Faith or Mara? Hero or nutcase? There were so many different choices, but all fit. "I'm... I'm... I don't know," she said finally. Then she began wondering if it was even Caterpillar's business, and why she should get awkward when he asked her what her name was.  
  
"Then I shall tell you. You are neither Faith nor Mara; nor are you in between. Faith is as much a part of you as Mara. It is your choice who will stay, and what you are fighting for."  
  
She stared blankly at him. "I'd call you an arse, but I think that in this case it would be too much of a compliment. Speak in plain English!"  
  
"Who are you?" Caterpillar asked, almost languidly, so doped up was he on whatever resided in his hookah. "If you can't tell me who you are, tell me your name." So there was a difference between the questions. She didn't see it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What is your name? Who ARE YOU?" he asked, rather sharply this time.  
  
"My name is both Faith and Mara, or either Faith or Mara, and I don't give a damn about this question!"  
  
"That is Mara talking," he said calmly. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.  
  
"I can't win, can I?"  
  
"You can try. Perhaps that will help."  
  
"If I'm not Mara, then I'm either both or Faith and vice versa," she started.  
  
"Wrong. You are not one or the other."  
  
"Then I'm both. I am fighting to get to the Queen."  
  
"Wrong again. Why do you fight to get to the Queen?"  
  
"So I can kill her. But... she can't be persuaded to surrender?"  
  
"Wrong on both counts. Why do you want to kill the Queen? To make yourself whole again, or Wonderland? Who are you fighting for: you or us?"  
  
She stopped to think. "I'm fighting for both. I don't care if that's the wrong answer, but it's the truth." Caterpillar stared at her intently. She stared back, though it was difficult to look into his eyes for long. Just like Cat's... no, not like Cat's. Cat's weren't bloodshot.  
  
"That is the correct answer. You fight for your sanity, and for our lives. Who are you?"  
  
They were back to this question; the headache of all questions. But the stone man had told her to tell him if she didn't know.  
  
"I'm not sure. I told you that. Now, what is going on? What's happening everywhere else?"  
  
"There is chaos. Losing everything you loved nearly destroyed us all. You've begun the task of setting things right, and rebuilding this place and your mind. But you are not even nearly finished yet. There are still many things that only you can set right."  
  
"Such as..?"  
  
"Wonderland. Haven't you been paying attention? You must save Wonderland."  
  
"HOW?!"  
  
"Temper, temper," Cat purred. She glanced at him, and felt her stomach twist with nerves again. "Believe me, Faith, the only fool bigger than the thing that knows everything is the one that argues with him."  
  
"Shut up, Cat," she muttered.  
  
"Make me," he replied smugly. This time he sounded too much like Reynald for her: self-superior and totally despicable.  
  
"Half a minute," she ground out to Caterpillar. She walked towards Cat and slapped him. Hard. He jumped up out of her reach onto a rock, hissing at her. "Why Cat," she said, pretending to be shocked. "You do sound so like a common kitty cat that's been denied its supper."  
  
He glared at her, but said nothing, for once. She returned to her original place before Caterpillar. "Sorry, where were we?"  
  
This time Caterpillar stared. "Would you hurt a friend?" he asked pointedly. "Every moment spent fighting with a friend is another moment that works in her favour."  
  
"Sorry," she said crossly.  
  
"Calm down," Caterpillar said. "Your mind is distorted by self-deception, guilt and pain. You cannot trust anyone here because you do not trust yourself. Your harmless childhood fantasies have shattered into nothing more than tortured versions of themselves. Even your selves - both Mara and Faith - have had their negative points expanded, and both come out with greater frequency." Rabbit bounded up, apologising for his intolerable lateness. Caterpillar nodded briefly and turned back to her.  
  
"Who is the general that everyone fears?" she asked, thinking back to the Roach's conversation with Rabbit and Cat.  
  
"His name is Samien, and he is the smartest on the Queen's force... though I suppose that may not mean much. Suffice to say that he is intelligent. Some of us have seen his face, but he leads expeditions and gets many killed."  
  
"Will I have to dispose of him?" she asked curiously.  
  
"More than likely. He is the second-most important in the Queen's army."  
  
"Who's more important?"  
  
"The Jabberwock. None have challenged him and survived, except for Alice."  
  
"Well... didn't she kill him, then?"  
  
"Yes, but many of the denizens of Wonderland have been reborn. Many of us were; not all of us survived Alice's time."  
  
"Oh. What else should I know about her forces? Or this general? Or even this... companion Cat mentioned before?"  
  
"We determined at the meeting that the companion is not real; just a story someone made up, though some were very convinced of his reality. But the general is very real and very dangerous... and very good at exposing our hiding places," Rabbit said, fairly quickly. "We've lost more men to him than to... the others."  
  
"Why is this happening?" she murmured, almost hopeless. There was silence. Then Caterpillar spoke.  
  
"It is because of your guilt. You are wracked with it, because you survived, and your family and friends did not. You are terrified of the prospect of a life alone, with no one there with you but the illusions that you conjure up here. Annihilate the Queen of Hearts, and you can be normal again. Wonderland and your world will become complete again. But it is up to you. You must grow up and embrace the truth: only you can do this."  
  
"She must be human-sized, and to do that she must face Mantis. He covetously guards his... mushroom, shall we call it." Cat pointed out.  
  
Caterpillar sighed. "Then she must go."  
  
"But are all of her toys sufficient against him?" Rabbit asked. Hearing no answer, he shrugged. "Then she must go."  
  
She hesitated, but steeled herself against her fear. "I'll go," she agreed.  
  
Caterpillar began to summon a portal, when Cat stopped him.  
  
"Wait," he said. They turned to him in confusion. "I hear buzzing," he said shortly, and she drew out the mallet. "You must guard Caterpillar," Cat told her. Then he vanished.  
  
"Where's he gone, then?" she asked Caterpillar angrily, finding no trace of the mangy feline.  
  
"He has gone to fetch Rabbit," he replied quietly. "He left just after you agreed to go."  
  
She gripped the mallet with white knuckles, and glancing around for anything threatening. Something caught her eye, drawing it upwards. Above them hovered a wasp - bigger than the one that she had met before, headed for Caterpillar. Her mouth dropped open as it advanced. She launched a barrage of croquet balls at it and shouted insults, getting its attention. It flew at her, angry.  
  
She dived to the side, and it turned back as she launched another barrage of croquet balls. Infuriated, the wasp whirled around and smacked her into a bush with its back leg, leaving her stuck in some of the higher branches. The mallet had landed a few branches below her, and the wasp was returning to Caterpillar.  
  
"NO!" she screamed, but suddenly a brownish-grey streak dived at the wasp and sank claws into the its left eye. "Cat!" she cried in relief. He didn't hear and stood in front of Caterpillar, claws dripping with blood and bits of eye, hissing and snarling at the bug. Startled and in pain, it pulled itself into the air and started firing wicked black stingers at Cat.  
  
She grabbed her knife and hurled it at the stinger, willing it to connect with all her might. The wasp shrieked as its stinger was nearly torn off, but still advanced. Cat prepared to spring at the other eye when she remembered the Stone King's gift.  
  
She took out the ice wand and fired at the wings. Then she switched to secondary fire and made an icy half-dome around Caterpillar, separating him from the wasp. She pointed the wand at the stinger and fired. It connected and the wasp whirled around to find the source. Faith stretched herself up to get the mallet, and nudged it enough so that it fell, using the flat side of the knife. Unfortunately, she did too, and went crashing down through the bush onto the ground, and was soon wishing for high ground as the wasp flew at her. But Cat attacked it from behind, and had soon moved from its rear end up to its other eye. She fired at its feet, rooting it to the spot, and Cat leapt off, having finished.  
  
Immediately, she took up the attack with the ice wand, firing at its face and sides. Frantically the wasp tried to escape, but the ice kept coming until it was almost completely frozen. She launched a croquet ball at it, and the ice (and wasp underneath) shattered. "Thank you," she said to Cat. He nodded once, and spoke a few words with Caterpillar. Then he walked up to her.  
  
"Bravery and rashness are two sides of a single coin. Please remember that you're only about as big as a garden slug. That said, you didn't do too badly."  
  
"Thanks," she said, feeling tired. "Can I sleep yet?"  
  
He ignored that last part. "How did you come by the ice wand? It was lost after Alice's time."  
  
"The ice caves," she said simply. "D'you think I found it in a lava pit?"  
  
He gave her a reproving bat on the arm.  
  
"Are you Faith or Mara? It is vital to know before you continue," Caterpillar said.  
  
"Who am I?" she asked aloud. She thought back, to everything that she had done as Mara (...and that would be what?), and what little she had accomplished as Faith. But still.  
  
"Why do you call yourself Mara?"  
  
"For protection," she answered. It sounded like a lie, even as she said it. She started pacing, trying to think up another reason. Or what exactly she was trying to protect herself from.  
  
"They know your alias," Caterpillar replied calmly. "Are you simply using Mara as a way to run from Faith? If you stay Mara, Faith will never get her chance, and you will never be fully healed." She stopped pacing.  
  
"Who am I?" she wondered again. If Mara stayed, Faith wouldn't get better. She wouldn't even get the chance. "Faith," she said. Saying that felt good.  
  
"She's ready to go," Cat said. She felt that even if his face weren't frozen that way, he would still be grinning now, despite the slightly pink-ish patch under his fur where she'd hit him.  
  
Caterpillar slowly raised his arms and a portal rose out of the ground. She stepped up to it, and Cat waved. Faith shook her head wryly, and walked through. 


	25. Chapter 25

She stepped out into a small ditch of rocks and grass that formed a small maze. One path to the right caught her eye, however, and she walked up to it. It was clear enough, and mostly straight, so she started down. There seemed to be nothing there but grass with some dry patches and a few flowers that looked suspiciously like Venus Fly Traps. She was careful to stay as far away from these as possible.  
  
As she progressed down, she heard what sounded like many feet marching behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing. She started running, and came into a clearing with a large log and a few mushrooms about.  
  
The marching continued, a little louder, and she crawled through a trench underneath the log and came up to an opening on the other side of the log. It seemed safe, if anything a little dark. She threw in the jackbomb, just to be sure.  
  
Nervously she walked in. The ground was covered in leaves, moss and bits of brush, and she cautiously headed deeper inside. Then the ground beneath her ripped and she fell into a small hole - too deep for her to jump out of, but too smooth to climb. Several ants peered in at the top of the hole, staring down at her with wicked amusement in their beady black eyes. One of them lowered the end of its rifle, and she grabbed the barrel. It lifted her out easily, dropping her onto the ground, and she found herself surrounded by about forty ants, all of which were aiming rifles at her.  
  
She put her hands up in surrender, and they roughly prodded her over to the back of the log and shoved her down into a cave. The dirt floor was littered with small bug bones and a few mouse bones, grass, and seeds. The walls of the cave were rough stone, and came together a large, deep dome over her head. She noticed that they seemed to curve outwards, giving her the distinct feeling of being trapped in a large fish bowl. The light from outside had faded very fast, and it was dim inside. Towards the back, Faith could make out the outlines of a large rock formation, with a clearly defined mushroom on its top. Near that, something was waiting.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked loudly. Behind her, most of the ants went back to patrol, but a few stayed behind to watch, taking out seeds and other things to eat. The thing at the back of the cave growled.  
  
"Get back on duty, you pathetic and wretched excuses for soldiers!" it snarled. The voice was brusque and grating. She felt and heard herself gulp. The ants immediately scurried back to duty. The shape's head turned to stare at her. It had to be a praying mantis; they were the only insects that could turn their head. "So I meet the famous Faith at last. Pity I've heard that she's such a coward."  
  
She didn't move.  
  
"Yes... Your friends all think so. Even the Rabbit, with whom you've lately become companions. The Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar... even your friend Morag. You didn't go back to help the fruit lady, whose death you caused, because you were too afraid of those card guards and the caravan."  
  
She took a step back.  
  
"And now you're running!" he crowed. "I allow you to keep your weapons so perhaps you could do the impossible and prove me wrong... and you're running!" A thin layer of moisture formed on her upper lip, and she wiped it off with her sleeve. Then the thing came into the light, and she found herself staring into the eyes of a huge praying mantis. But it wasn't a typical mantis - it wore armour with a bright red heart, and its teeth were both very large and very sharp. Its eyes were bigger around than her head. Her own eyes bugged. "But let me assure you," he growled, coming close. "There's no escape." Before she could get away, he slapped her across the cave with spiny forelegs and pounced, trying to pin her where she lay. But she rolled away and jumped up, narrowly missing a blow from his wings.  
  
She ran to the back of the cave and waited in darkness, drawing the mallet. When the Mantis drew close, she sent a croquet ball into his chest. It did nothing. He laughed roughly.  
  
"Think your petty toys will do anything?" he asked. She hesitated, eyes nervously darting from the mallet to him and back again. She dropped it and withdrew the ice wand.  
  
"Yes," she said.  
  
The mantis grimaced at the sight of the loathed wand, but shrugged (best as a bug could). "You're so predictable. Yet you-" he rammed into her, sending her flying across the cave. She landed with a thud against a wall as the wand skidded to a stop just behind the mantis. "Never expect anything... or when you do, it's wrong."  
  
She dodged his spines and sent the cards flying at him as he ran at her, but he extended his forelegs and caught her by her hair, and pulled her over to him. He raised her to eye level and smiled evilly. "You'll taste good," he hissed and pulled her closer, pincers opening wide.  
  
Terrified, she crossed her legs at the knees, catching his long, thin neck between her calves. Then she uncrossed them fast and he choked as his flexible neck bent almost too far in two directions, and dropped her. She dived for the ice wand and fired straight up while underneath him.  
  
Unable to move, he watched as she took out the mallet and splintered a leg and then a wing. When the ice had melted enough he staggered away and opened his mouth, belching out an army of little mantises that tried to latch onto her and bite her. Several of them did, and Faith, not much of a bug fan, ran and jumped in a panic, shaking them off and shrieking. The ice was melting. He laughed at her.  
  
"You're such a coward. Look at you, running and screaming, trying to get those off. You don't want to fight, do you? You want to be safe and warm in your bed, thinking that all of this is nothing more than a dream; that you can just wake up when you feel like it. You could barely murder the Countess without encouragement, could you? I think not. And afterwards, you were a shivering, pathetic WRECK, as you still are now."  
  
Faith stared at him. "That's not true," she said at last, fear and tears gone. "I may be afraid, but I'm not going to run away. I'm not a coward. I don't want to fight, but if fighting is what it takes to save Wonderland and my friends, then I will."  
  
He laughed. "I don't believe you."  
  
She fired at his neck, coating from his body to his head. "Then don't. But believe that I will kill you. Right now." And threw the knife, shattering his neck.  
  
"Too full of bravado, you were," she told the severed head.  
  
The body fell with a crash and she sighed in relief, and walked over to the small hollow where the mushroom was. When she reached it, she recoiled and held her nose at the stench. "UGH! CAT!"  
  
He appeared. "You called?"  
  
"I have to eat this thing?" she asked, almost praying she was wrong. He nodded.  
  
"Personally, I've never trusted toadstools, but I suppose that some must have their good points... somewhere."  
  
"Are you actually sympathizing with me?" she asked incredulously. He shrugged.  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
She stared warily at the toadstool, then reached out and touched it. It was slimy, cold and mushy. Her face twisted into a disgusted grimace, and she drew away instinctively. "That feels like... ergh..." She tried to describe it, but couldn't.  
  
"Don't bother with the imagery. Just close your eyes and plug your nose," Cat advised. "Pretend it's an oyster. No, you don't like oysters. Meat. No, you like yours cooked. Pretend it's something else. Prevarication, in this case, should help."  
  
She laughed weakly. "I'd ask you what to think of, but you've already..." she apprehensively eyed the toadstool and frowned.  
  
"Well, you certainly aren't going to get anywhere that way."  
  
"I'm working on it," she said crossly. He nodded.  
  
"Once you have finished 'working on' this, you must employ the help of the pale royals. They will be of great help to you."  
  
"Pale Royals? Help me how?" she asked, puzzled. He didn't answer right away.  
  
"There are many things that, regrettably, I can't tell you. Not because I don't know, but because I'm not the one to tell you."  
  
"I suppose I understand," she said, sounding about as convinced as she would have if he had told her the earth was banana-shaped. She ignored whatever reaction he had and turned back to the mushroom. "Okay, okay... we're good, we can do this." She reached forwards, but her hand snapped back abruptly. "No we can't... well, taste is temporary and superficial anyway." She stopped. "God, I sound schizo or something! It's bad enough that you're here, you don't need another personalit... what am I saying?"  
  
She shook her head as Cat sighed and walked around the mushroom and faced her.  
  
"Cat? Who are these 'pale royals' anyway?"  
  
"They are the white King and Queen, and rulers of the Pale Realm." She barely heard a word he said.  
  
She glanced at the mushroom doubtfully. "All right," she said finally. "We can do this." And she scrunched up her face, grabbed a handful of mushroom, and threw it into her mouth. It tasted like someone had been preparing a soup of rotten mushrooms and oil, and had forgotten it for about a year. She gagged, and Cat backed up and moved aside. "Swallow..." he cautioned. Eyes watering, she nodded and forced it down, clamping her hands on her chin and forehead.  
  
The sensation started at the area between her stomach and her hips, like she was having cramps. Slowly the feeling spread, and it felt as though her stomach were spreading through her body and pushing it out. Suddenly she shot up into the air stayed on the ground; twirled and spun and stayed still. When she stopped, she gasped as she found herself looking down at the mantis's lair and the ants from her real height! The ants hadn't regained their senses yet and she stomped on the lot of them, deciding that their deaths made guts on the bottom of her boot worthwhile. Then she ducked behind a bush and vomited.  
  
"What next?" she asked after a few minutes, almost cheerful. He appeared to be rather exasperated.  
  
"Have you not been paying attention? You must find the pale royals. They will have instructions and a very valuable gift for you - if you can prove that you are not one of the Red Queen's agents."  
  
"How shall I do that?" she wondered, feeling her apprehension rise.  
  
"That will be for them to decide," was the cryptic reply.  
  
"It's not going to... to get me killed, is it?" She asked nervously, facing him. "'Cos if it does, it's your fault."  
  
"Afraid?"  
  
"Uneasy, rather."  
  
He nodded, more in acknowledgement than sympathy. "Off you trot," he purred, and waited for her to do something.  
  
"Which way do I go?"  
  
"The right way, preferably," he shrugged.  
  
"You couldn't resist that, could you?" she muttered, and wandered around, getting used to being big again. She was surrounded all by forest, and she had no way of knowing how to get out.  
  
She scrambled up a large boulder, hoping to get a good view of her surroundings. There were two stone cliffs a short distance to the right, and a large stream to the left, although she wouldn't have been surprised if it eventually led to the cliffs. Straight ahead there was a glowing, molten river of lava that cut through the land, swallowing boulders and spilling out of the surrounding pools and gullies. Heat radiated in a sea of steam, and heat waves formed a screen that blurred the valleys and cliffs behind the river. It led straight into the cliffs, and she knew that it was her road.  
  
She turned, only half expecting to see Cat, and was greeted with empty air.  
  
She nodded and headed down, searching for a path. 


	26. Chapter 26

She started down the first one she found, staring at the grass that had seemed like trees to her just a little while ago, and kicked at the pebbles that she'd had to either climb over or go around. As she progressed, the air grew steadily warmer until she finally came alongside a river of lava. The pungent smell surrounded her, and her eyes were completely watered after only a few minutes. After a about a mile of the seemingly endless river, she took to tossing a rock in every twenty steps, just to pass the time. It was rather a shock when the river sent a fireball back at her the third time, and she dived to avoid it. Slowly she backed up, watching the spot warily.  
  
BAM! A huge fist shot towards her, narrowly missing and pummelling a huge boulder behind her. instead. Faith jumped back and grabbed the ice wand, ready for whatever would come next. The lava man rose from the magma slowly, and again sent a flying fist at her. She dodged again and leapt onto what remained of the boulder, using chunks of rock left over from the hole its fist had made. She fired a few blasts from the ice wand and jumped down when it spit a huge glob of lava at her. She heard a hissing sound and turned in time to see the boulder melting. Once again it punched at her, but this time its fist was slower and much more solid. She realised that it was slowly cooling and hardening. Well, she'd have to help it a little.  
  
When its fist came at her again she fired the wand at it, and again dodged the incoming blow, ducking under the fist as it returned. It bellowed in frustration and spit at her again as she started firing. BOOM, BOOM. The icy jets ripped through the magma man's shoulder, making small ripples that penetrated deep and rapidly spread, coating the entire area in a thick layer of ice.  
  
It tried to howl in fury and pain, but by then it had solidified to the point where it could not move its mouth. She froze it once again, and this time it did not retaliate. She sighed in relief and continued on her way. This time, she did not throw any rocks into the stream.  
  
Eventually she reached a large, open area. The stream spiralled and twisted with the land, the end point being a huge rock formation that jutted out imposingly from the rocky bar that led to it. Several tiny red men ran along the path, but they couldn't reach her - the river separated them from her. Down a path to her right, there was a rusty iron gate, and she had no clue as to the destination. A small tributary of lava caught her eye, and she followed it with her gaze until she was facing the way she had come. Just beside her path was a huge brick archway, adorned with small, twisted iron spires. A huge blackened gate separated her from whatever was inside.  
  
Turning, she noticed a few wooden signs, and approached. "Pale Realm!" one sign trumpeted loudly. "Fungiferous Flora!" bellowed the other.  
  
"Shut up, both of you!" she yelled. They didn't stop, but lessened their cries somewhat. "Now, your road leads to the Pale Realm?"  
  
"Where the White King and Queen rule!" the sign replied, blasting her back with the sheer force of its yell. "...But not for long!!"  
  
"And you apparently lead somewhere I don't want to go," she surmised, ignoring the last part and bending down. Now that she was standing still, it occurred to her that her boots were uncomfortably wet, so she wanted to get them off her feet for a while.  
  
"Now why wouldn't you?! Lush, green foliage, tall trees, unspoilt land!" That sounded rather like an embellished version of the place she had just left.  
  
"No thanks, I'm perfectly happy going to the Pale Realm," she said, scooting towards the less tourist-y sign.  
  
"You don't want to go where there's war!" it advised her. "You'll surely die!"  
  
"No I won't," she returned. "Else I wouldn't have come this far."  
  
"But doesn't a nice, peaceful day in the green woods sound much better?" the FF sign wheedled. "Instead of back to all the nasty fighting. It's a perfect place to rejuvenate!"  
  
"Shut up!" she snapped. "The only rejuvenation in this land will come from the Red Queen's death!"  
  
"Traitor!" it shrieked. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"I've heard that more than enough," she muttered, but it made no difference. Both signs were shrieking loud enough to wake the dead, so she hurried past the sign that said "Pale Realm," and into the new land that she would enter.  
  
"Traitor to the Queen of Hearts!" was the last echo that she heard before she stepped into a completely new, soundless realm.  
  
And it was soundless, and stark as well. White and black chequers covered the ground, and she noticed a grey town in the distance. The sky, and the clouds were chequered as well. As she stepped before the board, walls shot up from the ground, surrounding her. Through the doorway nearest her, she saw some mad children playing double dutch, and stepped out for a moment to watch.  
  
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"  
  
They glanced at her, hardly pausing.  
  
She stared at them, trying to make sense of what they were saying. The chant rang in her head, and it dawned on her that they were starting again, still with a fairly relaxed, slow beat. Two mad children in line began clapping to the chanter's beat.  
  
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"  
  
Had they started speeding up? Yes, she was sure of it. They were clapping harder and chanting louder, almost yelling.  
  
"CHESS is a FUN game exCEPT when You're PLAYing for BLOOD then your HANDS get all DIRty Damn BUNny won't SAVE you from SILence The NOISes they're MAKing are COMing much CLOSer the CATCH RIP SLASH!"  
  
Faster still, and louder, too. Perversely, everything around her and in her head started to slow and spin only them and their rhyme kept going faster and louder until it was in her head taking over her mind until all she could hear was CATCHRIPSLASH! she fell to her knees but still it pounded through her skull but it was still going faster and louder and louder and faster until  
  
The children stopped. She looked up, and they were gone.  
  
She shuddered and felt the hairs on her head stand up, as though an icy hand had grabbed the back of her neck from behind. She shook herself several times to get rid of the feeling, and stepped up to the doorway. One step inside. Two. She was completely inside now.  
  
"She doesn't know," Cat said to Rabbit. They had just arrived, and could only sit outside the room and watch. And hope she'd survive.  
  
"No, she doesn't," he agreed.  
  
"There is nothing we can do?" Cat asked quietly.  
  
"No." Rabbit shook his head. "We don't have the time. She is inside."  
  
She looked around the room. There wasn't much there; just the chessboard pattern and the walls. She took another step, and abruptly a rhyme appeared at her feet on the floor.  
  
This room is meant for friend and foe If you are friendly then you'll know The secret of this little room And hence, you shall avoid your doom.  
  
She couldn't figure out what it meant. "If you are friendly then you'll know the secret, and won't die," it meant, she figured. What secret? Great. There was a trick to the room now. She read it again. Well, she had THOUGHT that she was a friend to the white pieces. It didn't seem to imbue her with some secret knowledge, though. And she still had the damned chant in her head. She started walking again, holding her boots to her chest, although she now felt distinctly uncomfortable.  
  
"Chess is a fun game except when you're playing for blood."  
  
Too true, she thought.  
  
"Then your hands get all dirty."  
  
Again, true.  
  
"Damn bunny won't save you from silence."  
  
What did that mean?  
  
"The noises they're making are coming much closer."  
  
The noises WHO made, though?  
  
"The catch, rip, slash!"  
  
Apparently nothing good. She puzzled over it. It was a riddle within the rhyme. But did it apply to the room? Or was it just something to needlessly distract her? Because if it was, it was very good at it. She reached midway, and abruptly stopped. Another rhyme had appeared at her feet.  
  
The halfway mark can mean a lot But this means but a little You seem to know our tiny plot But forgive the lack of an acquittal  
  
So even if they thought she was a friend, she was still in trouble. This is working out splendidly, she thought, grimacing. The first rhyme re-entered her head. Damn bunny won't save you from silence... silence... After another few feet, it dawned on her. Silence! Damn bunny won't save you from silence! Silence was the key; it had to be! But what about the next two lines? She shook her head and continued, now very relieved that she had taken off her boots beforehand.  
  
Doom, doom, doom.  
  
About ten feet to go... did she hear something?  
  
No - just her imagination making trouble for her.  
  
Doom, doom, doom.  
  
There was no way that it could have been real... or something would happen, wouldn't it? Eight feet left.  
  
"Steady!" Damn - it was real. Something was going to happen soon, she knew it.  
  
"There she is!" No... six feet left... "King-side castle! Get her!"  
  
Four feet left! She turned, saw a red rook coming quickly towards the room.  
  
Only three feet!  
  
The rook entered.  
  
The sound of stone scraping stone and its malicious laughter played through the room, amplified by the close confines of the walls.  
  
A moment of absolute silence, when the rook saw that it wasn't him that she was afraid of.  
  
Sharp silver spikes shot out of the walls, and Faith lunged out the door with something between a strangled yell and a terrified shriek.  
  
She felt a sharp breeze pass just millimetres behind her heel as she landed hard on the ground outside and shoved herself away from the doorway.  
  
She turned back. Within the room, thousands of sharp, cold silver spikes protruded from the walls - coming from the floor, the ceiling, the walls. Through the maze of silver, she saw the castle, or what was left of him. The spikes withdrew almost as quickly as they had come out, and the castle collapsed. The floor absorbed the blood, leaving nothing but the body and cold black and white tiles inside. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood, turning from the cube.  
  
Then she saw Cat and Rabbit. Rabbit had covered his eyes, and was fidgeting wildly. Cat appeared distinctly unsettled. "Wonderland's heroine was almost lost in there," he said quietly. "We did not warn you of this godforsaken room."  
  
She shrugged. "I think I would've made it okay," she said, her voice breaking with nerves and her anger. "If the castle hadn't run in, anyway."  
  
Rabbit pulled his paws away from his eyes when he heard her speak. Upon seeing her, he breathed a sigh louder and more emotional than hers had been. "You're all right!" he gasped. "We were too late to try and help you and we thought that you wouldn't make it and that we'd-"  
  
"All right, Rabbit!" she said pointedly. "I'm fine."  
  
He sank to the ground in relief. "Tired, Rabbit?" Cat asked. Rabbit glared at him, then returned his attention to Faith.  
  
"Faith, you must find the Pale Royals, and you must hurry! The Queen's forces are gathering, and the Pale Realm may fall if you do not go quickly! The White King and Queen shall give you instructions when you reach them! Put your shoes on! Hurry!"  
  
"I'm not to follow you this time?" she asked.  
  
"No - I have things that I must do, regrettably. But if you are in need of assistance, call Cat! I must go!"  
  
And he ran off.  
  
"That was unusual," Cat said thoughtfully.  
  
"You don't know what he's up to?" Faith asked, unbelieving.  
  
"Oh, I do. But he usually puts you before his other duties." She felt very touched by this.  
  
"And he hasn't died yet," she said, partially awed, but mostly relieved.  
  
"No, he hasn't," Cat agreed. "Impressed?" 


	27. Chapter 27

"Find the Pale Royals!" continually echoed in her head, forming a sort of mantra that she walked to. But even that couldn't drown out her discomfort or her insistently frightened thoughts. There was absolutely no one there; the entire city was like a tomb. A stark, black-and white tomb. But even for all its bleakness it was pretty, in that unusual Wonderland way. There was a strange sort of symmetry, as though... she couldn't exactly form the words to describe it in her head. It was as though the far side of each house or building was like that of the house next to it, yet nothing like itself. Each building was grey, which seemed only to add to the quietness of the place. The stars were dim, as though the poison of Wonderland had spread even to them.  
  
Then she heard the thumping. She turned and found a white chess piece sneaking off over a bridge, headed away from her. "Wait!" she called. It stopped and faced her. It was a pawn. Slowly she raised a hand, which it followed with its single, unblinking eye. She raised her other hand until it was level with the first, and brought them both slowly down in front of her. She hoped that she was communicating a lack of weapons.  
  
"Umm..." she stopped. "Can you help me?"  
  
It stared curiously at her.  
  
"It feels very strange, talking to a chess piece," she said. Still it stared at her, blinking only once in several minutes. Finally she sighed and walked away, cutting across the board without paying much attention to the pattern of the squares.  
  
"I've never seen a piece that could move like that," a strange voice sounded nearby. It was the pawn! She hurried back to it.  
  
"You can talk!" She was incredibly relieved until she realised that what she had said could have offended it. However, the pawn didn't seem insulted, merely puzzled.  
  
"Yes... what are you? What piece?"  
  
She blinked in confusion for a moment before she realised what it meant. "Oh! I'm not a chess piece. I'm a human, and my name is Faith."  
  
"Faith!"  
  
"Yes. Er, where is everyone else? I'm so confused... there's nobody here."  
  
"We're all back fighting. I must deliver a message to our King."  
  
"Then may I follow you?" She was eager to reach the one that seemed to hold most of her answers.  
  
"No!" It was surprisingly forceful. "Anyone who is not a pawn that follows is immediately beheaded, without question."  
  
Faith did a double take. "What?"  
  
"They are beheaded. Now can you please move? Pawns can only go one direction at a time."  
  
"Oh," she said, moving out of the way. "But how might I reach him?"  
  
"Take the Challenge at the gates," the pawn replied.  
  
"Ah." She nodded as the pawn continued on its way. "Damned little buggers," she muttered, not liking the sound of any sort of Challenge that the sadistic little hunks of marble could devise.  
  
"Lady Faith!" the pawn called. She ran up to it, hoping it would tell her of another way inside. "How did you get in here?"  
  
"Through that lovely Silent Room," she said, hoping that the pawn couldn't read her mind. The thoughts passing through her head were not kind, and were generally aimed directly at the little wanker. The pawn gasped.  
  
"You solved the riddle!" it beamed. "The White King will be most pleased!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"She is wise as well as violent!" it shone with happiness, as though the Red pieces had just been destroyed.  
  
"No, I-"  
  
But it was useless to try and get through its ecstatic exterior - it seemed to have made up its mind about her. Happily, it hopped off. She stared after it. "Violent?"  
  
She found the gate without much trouble - getting through was the problem. It had been closed for war purposes, and no amount of yelling, cajoling, pounding or pleading would get it to open. A low chuckle sounded behind her, startling her out of her current barrage.  
  
"Having trouble?"  
  
"Cat?"  
  
"However did you guess?" he asked dryly, appearing on top of a plaque, lazily curled up. She rolled her eyes. "You didn't read the poem, I see."  
  
"I'm not reading another bloody poem," she snapped. "The last one I read could've got me killed."  
  
He sighed. "They are usually important here in Wonderland, especially in the Pale Realm."  
  
"Yes but not everyone can heed them and still be sane when they're done!"  
  
"Faith, why are you in Wonderland at this moment?"  
  
"Because I - oh..." she trailed off, catching his obvious meaning, and turned pink at the cheeks. "Oops... wrong choice of words, I suppose."  
  
"It was the right choice of words... only you aren't the one that should be saying them," he purred.  
  
"Yes, Cheshire, I love you, too," she muttered disgustedly. He had one-upped her yet again.  
  
"Now," he said, patiently talking her through, "You are a friend to the Pale Royals, are you not?"  
  
"Yes, I am," she answered, not sure where this tangent was headed.  
  
"Then wouldn't it be sensible to recognize that fact?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"In a manner that would make it possible for them to realise your purpose here?"  
  
Faith paused. "I think I see what you're getting at." Cat purred agreeably, and his tail twitched slightly in pleasure.  
  
"Then address the gates, and if you're not a total dunderhead, they should open."  
  
Feeling slightly ridiculous, Faith faced the gates. "Friends, I accept the Challenge!" she yelled. And slowly, the gates began to rise.  
  
"Well done," Cat told her, grinning widely. "Now enter the Pale Realm of the White King."  
  
Faith stepped through the gates, and was immediately greeted by a bishop. She jumped back, surprised, but relaxed when it made no move to harm her. It merely glared at her suspiciously.  
  
"What manner of piece are you? You are not shaped like us, yet neither do you resemble the Cat or the Rabbit."  
  
"I can't imagine them needing to go through anything like this. I'm Faith, and I wish to see the King." That seemed to have absolutely no effect on him, she was disgusted to note.  
  
"You have accepted the Challenge," he said, making no effort to turn it into a question. She nodded, more as a statement than an answer.  
  
Slowly he moved out of her way, and she stepped forward. The moment she reached his square a strange change came over her. She couldn't move her feet at all, and she felt exceptionally heavy. A little disconcerted, she tried a quick kick, but only fell over. To her alarm, she was thoroughly unable to get up, and her arms seemed very short and useless. And what was this? A staff? "Right..." she muttered, but she didn't sound right, either. Irritated, she somehow managed to prop herself up with the staff and look down. What she saw nearly made her fall over again. She was a chess piece!  
  
The other bishop was watching her curiously. "What?" she asked peevishly. It said nothing, merely pointed to the right. She tried to move forward, but couldn't; there seemed to be a strange wall blocking her movements. Then she remembered the rules of chess and smacked herself upside the head - Bishops were only allowed to move diagonally. She sighed and turned to face a black square that was up and to her left. The bishop seemed to be pointing that way. "How do I move?" she called back.  
  
"It is determined by will here; do you not know that? Merely will yourself to move, and you shall."  
  
She started forwards, delighted that she could move so fluidly. After a few squares, she got to wondering what the Challenge was. It was only just in time that she noticed the missing square and stopped. She changed direction, trying to go around, and had just traversed a square when a huge spike came down just behind her. She whirled around and it came down again. And again. And again, and she realised just how lucky she had really been. And how pathetically careless.  
  
She changed direction again, watching anxiously for another pit or spike. There was one a few spaces to her left - didn't want to go that way. Her right seemed safe... never mind. She cursed inwardly, wishing that the pits weren't so bloody hard to see.  
  
She sighed and turned back to the spike, went forward one square, then down. There didn't seem to be too many traps in that row. Except for a row of spikes that constantly shot up around the edges of a square about six squares away. Faith was just relieved that there seemed to be nothing in between. "Yeah, but things are never as they seem here," she reminded herself. "...What a cliché nowadays. But so true in this place," she murmured.  
Then she stopped. Not of her own will - she simply couldn't move forward. Tentatively she stuck a hand out, feeling for an invisible wall of some sort. There was none. She couldn't see her feet; when she bent over, what she could only assume were her knees got in the way. Finally she backed up a square and saw an inconspicuously small (but effective) ridge that prevented her from reaching the next square.  
  
Disgusted, she turned again and went around, crossing what now felt like the only 'safe' square on the board. She slid to the left of the spiky square and continued forwards, mentally preparing herself for any new challenges that the board could bring. Fortunately, nothing else that was terribly serious or alarming happened. Just annoying in that she sometimes had to take five squares instead of two, courtesy of the various traps lying about.  
  
She looked up as she neared the end to see a small, hidden sign that said, "Bishop's way - speak the password now, friend."  
  
She stopped short. Password?! "Oh my bloody god!" she hissed in the sign's general direction.  
  
"Move!" A bishop behind her yelled rudely. She turned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Move! I bear an important message for the King!" A pit to her left, spikes to her right.  
  
"There's nowhere to move TO!" she called back.  
  
"Then speak the password and move forwards!" She took a deep breath to calm herself and faced him.  
  
"I'm sorry, but the Cheshire Cat neglected to tell me about any passwords, and as such, did not tell me what they were."  
  
The bishop rolled his eyes. "I would have thought that if you were an ally, he wouldn't NEED to." His eyes narrowed. "Providing that you are as you say."  
  
"I am," she said irritably. "I'm Faith. Trouble is, after I took this ruddy Challenge I went all freaky."  
  
The bishop glared at her. "You are the same as me. Are you calling all bishops freaks?"  
  
"Not really," she shrugged. "But it's rather disconcerting when you look human one moment and then the exact opposite when you move forwards a few inches."  
  
Now he stared at her as though she were mad. Which she probably was. "In plain, unhindered English, if you don't mind," he said.  
  
She was staring at the riddle again, completely ignoring him. He said the same thing, louder this time.  
  
"What? Sorry," she said, turning. Fuming, he repeated himself again.  
  
"What did I say?" she asked, not remembering. He allowed himself a growl of frustration.  
  
"You do not remember?"  
  
She thought. "Oh, now I do. What I meant was that it's a little weird when you look like yourself one moment and something else entirely after you move forwards a few steps."  
  
He blinked, letting it sink in. Faith had the distinct impression that he was not as smart as he made himself out to be. "Perfect," she muttered. "An opposition full of arses and allies full of chumps." He didn't hear that, thank goodness. After it had time to sink in, she would probably be in trouble, even if she was a-  
  
"Friend," she said suddenly. The gates slid open. She grinned. "That was nice."  
  
She had figured it out without Cat's help! 


	28. Chapter 28

Before her there was a small, open armoury. Dozens of Bishops' staffs were propped up against the stone walls, which were old but strong. Several long, narrow slits peered at her, too narrow for a bishop to shoot through. Their purpose utterly confused her.  
  
Opposite, there was a large, elaborate gate with "Knight Challenge" written in elegant script, and an engraving of a knight's piece below that. There was no mechanism to raise it, and she began to have her doubts that they hadn't simply created the Challenge to kill any strangers who tried to pass through.  
  
Above her, several rooks paced along the battlements, glaring suspiciously at anything that moved. Faith was the recipient of several glares as she hesitated before the gate, not feeling right. She sighed uncomfortably. If there was another way through, she wished that she had discovered it. But there was no point in wishing then; she was there, and couldn't - wouldn't - go back.  
  
She started to slide through, but then became Faith again. Problem was, she wasn't through other the gate yet, and more than likely would be decapitated somehow on her way across. She ran.  
  
Immediately a heavy disc shot out from a slit ahead of her and flew at her neck. She dived under it and continued running. Another flew at her from the side, and she ducked and somersaulted, leaping forwards as she rose to her feet. There was the gate, with the engraving of a knight's piece. "Let me IN!" she screamed.  
  
The gate was rising slowly. She ran faster. A disc came from behind. She lunged at the opening. The disc went after her, faster still. She made it under! It stopped abruptly and clanged to the ground. She had become a knight.  
  
"Cripes, not again," she muttered.  
  
This Challenge was somewhat more difficult. Before she even took one step, she had to figure out how she moved. It wasn't the simple sliding motion of a bishop; when she tried she got nowhere. "Cat!" she called, but it came out as little more than a neigh. She groaned in exasperation.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"Cat!" (Neigh!)  
  
He chuckled, rather mockingly.  
  
"Oh, shut up." (Snort.)  
  
He definitely seemed about to laugh. "What predicament is there now?"  
  
"I... can't walk." (Bluster and a nicker.)  
  
"Ah. What did your dear friend the first bishop tell you?"  
  
"That it's governed by will, but when I try, I can't go." (This came out as a random assortment of nickering, neighs and snorts). If she weren't a chess piece, she would be blushing.  
  
"Maybe you should try something other than sliding. Knights and pawns alike are very similar in their movements, beside that fact that one of the two is rather more potent."  
  
She sighed. (A very loud, prolonged snort.) Cat's ribs were heaving in an effort to keep in his laughter.  
  
"It's nice to have some entertainment nowadays," he said introspectively.  
  
"Oh, shut up." (Yet another snort.)  
  
"Oh I will, but do keep talking. It's so very amusing."  
  
"CAT!!" (NEIGH!!!)  
  
He started laughing, hard. So hard that various parts of him kept disappearing and reappearing again, and tears rolled from his eyes, which were clenched shut. She was rather relieved when he stopped.  
  
"You wouldn't believe how much I appreciated that." (A bitter assortment of nickering.)  
  
He nodded. "Quite a bit, I'd imagine. Laughter is rare here in Wonderland." She had nothing to say to that, and started on another tangent.  
  
"Cat? While nobody's here, I want to ask you something."  
  
He raised an inquiring eyebrow.  
  
"Back in the caves, the Ice King told me that I shouldn't be so trusting in you. Why would he tell me that? You're my greatest help, besides Rabbit."  
  
He sighed. "I had hoped you wouldn't ask that. But I cannot answer now. We are never truly alone in Looking-Glass Land."  
  
"Is that what this place is really called?"  
  
"Yes, although many have forgotten that. It is referred to now as Chessland or the Pale Realm."  
  
She nodded. "Well, I look forward to your explanation."  
  
He nodded back. "And you shall have it - but later."  
  
She stared at the board, absolutely muddled. The pawn had moved by jumping - was that what she needed to do as well? How?  
  
A knight passed her, and she noted that it seemed to have planned its moves ahead; it jumped all three squares at once. She hoped that she wouldn't need to do that. Then a spike rammed down through the other knight. Her eyes went wide. Oh no. Wasn't he a white piece? Apparently not, as the banner of the Red Queen suddenly showed through on the saddle. She glared at it and started forward. One square up, two squares left - away from it. Two squares up, one square left. Safe so far.  
  
Most of the Challenge continued in this way. Once she was almost a hop away from a pit, but she forced herself to stop (and subsequently fall) in midair, landing on her side. It took several minutes to get back up... rather painful minutes, as she was finally forced to use her nose to shove herself up, which was the equivalent of pushing herself back up using her forehead.  
  
There was another scare soon after. She landed on one space, and it started crumbling as she jumped off. As the pieces fell, she thought she saw a marking on the square, but wasn't entirely sure. A few minutes later, she was confronted by a black square with a small blue dot in the corner. She bent down as far as she could to examine it, and poked it with her sword. When she poked it hard enough, it crumbled as well.  
  
Another white knight passed by. This one was tired and dripping blood. She wrinkled her nose and followed the blood trail, but when the knight finished a move, a huge spike shot out of the square, crumbling the marble and impaling the knight through the base. "Ulgh!" she yelled, moving as far away as she could on that turn. A chunk of marble landed nearby, with a red dot on the corner that she thought was blood. But on closer examination, it proved to be another marker. Red was big spikes. Blue was pits. She really hoped that there were no other colours. One would think that flashes of red or blue would be easy to see, but Faith almost killed herself twice on them.  
  
She reached the gate, and this time it rose on its own accord. Two burly knights appeared. "Password?" one snorted.  
  
"Or are you not a knight?"  
  
"I'm not a knight," she nickered. "I'm Faith."  
  
She waited, playing with her sword while they deliberated. It was a funny-looking little thing. It wasn't much good for slashing at all. Maybe they used it more as a poker. The knights were grunting and blustering amongst themselves, with the occasional high-pitched whinny.  
  
Finally they turned to her.  
  
"So you are taking the Challenge, then?"  
  
It shouldn't take a genius to figure that out, let alone a genius with a companion. "Yes," she replied.  
  
Another debate, longer than the first.  
  
"Then you are not really a chess piece?"  
  
For the love of peace! "No, I'm human," she said, though it came out as more of a strangled whinny than she would have liked. Maybe this was the real Challenge - getting past the knights with all remaining sanity still intact.  
  
"Human..." one of them contemplated. He made thinking look like difficult work. The other knight, a female, turned to her.  
  
"So, human. What business do you have taking the Challenge?"  
  
"I need to speak to the White King."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"That's between the King and myself."  
  
The knight stared at her, confused. "Do you know the King?"  
  
"Not yet," Faith replied. The female knight stopped to think about that.  
  
"So he doesn't know you now?"  
  
"Most excellent question," the male agreed. The female nickered proudly.  
  
"As I said before; no, he does not know me yet. However, I come to give him aid, and will make myself known to him."  
  
"Could you say that a little slower?" The male asked.  
  
"Does he know me: not yet. Got that?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"I'm here to help win this war. Got that?"  
  
"Where is your army?" the female asked suspiciously. The male peered behind Faith, looking for others.  
  
She pointed at herself. "Right here," she said.  
  
The female laughed. "Foolish," she said haughtily.  
  
"Perhaps it is bigger when it is not a knight," the male suggested. He tinkered with a small panel, and she found herself back in her normal form. The knights stared.  
  
"YOU are the army?" the female asked incredulously. "Not only is that unfeasible but highly... preposterous!" They started laughing, hard.  
  
"It is not," Faith returned irritably.  
  
"It is," the male knight countered, pausing his laughter for a moment.  
  
"How? I've made it this far, through Wonderland Woods at three inches, through the Village of the Damned and that fortress, through every bloody Challenge this side of Wonderland!" She tried not to yell, but being ridiculed after all she had been through was nothing short of insulting.  
  
"Sorry, but we simply find it rather fantastical that someone your size and general appearance could have possibly-"  
  
Faith whipped out her knife and held it up so that the surface caught the light, revealing the bloodstains and bug guts that still lingered. "Does this convince you? This is card guard, Boojum, ants, ladybugs, and wasp, and that's naming only a few things."  
  
"You use a knife to kill bugs?" the female asked blankly.  
  
"At three inches, not much is better," Faith responded bluntly. "Let me see the King!"  
  
"You must discard your weapons," the female said, once again the figure of authority.  
  
"No."  
  
They gaped at her.  
  
"I'm not going through Looking-Glass Land without being armed. If I have to fight my way through red pieces to get to your King, I'm not going to do it with my fists."  
  
"There are no red pieces that can possibly get through our defences!"  
  
"Then they must have other ways, and I wish I'd discovered them, since a pawn told me that there was fighting going on within the centre of the city."  
  
"At the King's!" they cried in panic, and took off. Faith walked discreetly over to the control panel and pressed the button on the gate. There wasn't much that she could do to follow; she wasn't a knight anymore, and she would probably be beheaded should she trespass anywhere in Looking-Glass Land. Only one Challenge left, and that was the Castle.  
  
As she stepped up to the gate, she felt herself growing heavy, particularly around the fists. She seemed to be a castle, now. "Oh, dear," she muttered. "This may take awhile," as she faced a maze. Because the squares went diagonally in some places, she had to turn back and find another way. Other times there were pits or fast-moving spikes, and there was nothing she could do but stop and try another way.  
  
All in all, this was her longest Challenge, partly because it was so misleading, partly because the occasional trick square made things very scary for her. But in retrospect that was all right, because she became rather overconfident sometimes, and trick spaces kept things in perspective: that she was, in fact, in danger.  
  
At the end of it, she found herself greatly hoping for someone relatively intelligent that would listen to her, because so far the only pieces that she had met had been at opposite ends of the spectrum... not much in the middle. Those that listened were idiots and didn't understand. Those that were intelligent thought that she wasn't worth listening to.  
  
As it turned out, there were three castles that greeted her. One was intelligent and listened (she referred to him as One, for convenience's sake), one (which was known as Two) was neither, and the third (Three, naturally) was actually somewhat in the middle ground. He listened unless he had an opinion about something (which he did quite often). Seldom was his opinion right.  
  
"H-hello," she said, a little nervous. Together, the three were quite imposing.  
  
"You are not really a castle piece, are you?" Three asked.  
  
"No, I'm a-"  
  
"Kill her!" Two yelled.  
  
"You will NOT!" she snapped.  
  
"I do believe that she wants to say something," One said. "Let her speak."  
  
"I'm a human," she finished.  
  
"You don't say? They look rather like ants, I'm told," Three said.  
  
"That can't possibly be right," One said.  
  
"I don't care. It's a trespasser, whatever it is!"  
  
"So... I presume that you have taken the challenges... so you are here to spy on us, I believe," Three said.  
  
"No."  
  
"No? But I'm always right."  
  
"Again, no."  
  
"Then you are selling something?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why ARE you here?" Two asked viciously, cutting off Three's line of questioning.  
  
"I must see the Ki-"  
  
"To KILL HIM?!" Two shouted.  
  
"No, dear Two. I believe that she is-" One started.  
  
"Here to help train the Pawn Infantry Brigade! The second battalion has been needing a trainer," Three crowed triumphantly.  
  
"No, my friend. I believe she is here to help us fight the war. By fighting, not training," One said, calmly punching in the code to make her normal again.  
  
"That's exactly what I mean to do," said Faith. She hesitated, and turned to One. "But the knights laughed at me when I told them." Then she was transformed to normal again.  
  
Two instantly burst into laughter. Three joined him a moment later. One did not. Instead, he made his way over to her. "Do you think that you can help us? Honestly?"  
  
"Yes. I know that I can." She tried to ignore the fact that Two was rolling on the ground, bucking his base wildly with the force of his laughter and Three was doubled over and in tears, clutching his side (he was laughing so hard).  
  
"How is this?" he asked gently.  
  
"I just... it's all a matter of trust."  
  
"And faith," he smiled. She nodded.  
  
"So how exactly do you intend to help us, with this great army of yours?" Three snickered, managing to draw breath.  
  
"By fighting." She tried to resist the urge to put 'idiot' at the end. Didn't succeed, but managed to keep it under her breath.  
  
One slid over to the gate. "Show no mercy," he advised. "The Red pieces will not extend you that same courtesy. Nor have - or will - they show any to us." She nodded, a little sadly. It hurt that he was so resigned to the idea of dying.  
  
"Don't you have hope?" she asked.  
  
"It abandoned Looking-Glass Land long ago, along with faith and trust. Long, long ago."  
  
The gate rose, and One showed her through. As she entered the central square, she heard Two and Three both asking him why she had been let inside. He replied, "Because I trust her."  
  
Faith took it to heart that at least one person in this godforsaken place still did. 


	29. Chapter 29

It wasn't as quiet in the central square as she had expected. As she passed through, she watched as several small skirmishes broke out between white pieces that had obviously had enough of the stress, fear and anger for the day. They fought over war, over peace... she even heard one group fighting over her, and if the circumstances had been better, would have found it funny.  
  
The huge stone gate of the King's Keep loomed across town in the distance, and she started across the main square, joining in with the jostling crowds, making sure to keep the gate in sight. The square was fairly crowded, and pieces were jostling others and her in their efforts to get where they were going quickly.  
  
Then the drums sounded, and everybody froze. Faith shrank into the shadows, confused. Those sounded like the Red Queen's dru-oh. Several red pieces jumped into the middle of the square, scattering the whites. These were women and children! Though she found it rather pathetic that the women weren't fighting, she felt furious that the red soldiers were stooping so low as to attack them.  
  
"Hey!" she yelled.  
  
Some of the reds turned away from their fun. "Leave them alone!" So they picked her as their target instead. Faith counted them and took out her jackbomb. "Shite!" she muttered when she noticed others creeping up behind. She threw the jackbomb at the larger group, and whirled around to face the other group with the knife in her left hand and mallet in the right. The red pieces advanced, grinning evilly. She watched them as they advanced, and moved the mallet behind her to gain momentum for the swing. She raised the knife slowly. They came closer, and when they were close enough, the fighting began.  
  
The knife thrust forwards, connecting with the nearest castle's face. The mallet swung in an upward arc, catching an incoming knight in the jaw and knocking him back several feet. Then there was chaos. The other group recovered and came at her rapidly from behind. Faith leapt onto a fruit cart and threw the jackbomb into their midst and jumped down as they pummelled the stand. The jackbomb popped up, spinning and belching fire, and she dived behind a knight as the flames reached them. It neighed shrilly and collapsed, and she rolled away.  
  
The knife and the mallet were ready again when she remembered the ice wand. She grabbed it and prepared to fire but a castle's fist bashed into her arm and the wand clattered to the ground. She felt the bones crack and a long, high scream come out of her mouth. She dived for the wand, narrowly missing a bishop's blast. She returned with an icy jet at the entire group.  
  
She took out the knife and threw it, again and again. Again and again it collided with something. But it was slow going and the constant repetition hurt her shoulder, so she drew out the mallet. This was more effective, especially when she fired a ball directly into a pawn and it died immediately. The other pieces tried to run from her, but she wasn't going to let them escape. A few blasts with the ice wand were all she needed to permanently halt their progress.  
  
When they were all dead, Faith clutched her arm and fell to her knees. It felt as though the bone itself had been splintered and it hurt so bad... A few of the white pieces approached her, gingerly taking her arm and peeling back the sleeve of her sweater. A female bishop that would not have been out of place on the battlefield examined it carefully.  
  
"Why aren't you all fighting?" Faith asked.  
  
"This group? We are needed for our healing skills, rather than our prowess on the battleground," the lady bishop chuckled. She was surprisingly gentle when she slipped Faith's sweater off and set the bone. It soon vanished in the mass of white pieces that had come to help her.  
  
"Will I still be able to use this arm?" Faith asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes, although I wish that I had some herbs for your other wounds," the bishop fretted.  
  
"I have some," Faith remembered suddenly. She felt for the bag at her neck, slipped the cord over her head, handing it to the healers. "I'm amazed they're still here, actually."  
  
"Been through much?" the lady bishop asked. Faith nodded wearily. "Where are you headed?"  
  
"The Pale King's Keep," she replied, leaning her head back. A castle of indeterminate gender began wrapping a cast around her arm, and she winced.  
  
"Thank you," a male knight said suddenly, hopping up. " There was no warning at all, no chance to try and defend ourselves. There almost never is."  
  
"Except for the drums," a lady castle said darkly, glancing up from one of Faith's other wounds. "Can I have some of the red herbs?" Faith was suddenly aware of the fact that her boots were gone, too.  
  
"Certainly," the lady bishop said, handing them over. "Eat some of these," she said, sprinkling a few purple herbs into Faith's hand. "The tiniest amount can keep even a full-grown castle strong for weeks. You must know some powerful people to have got your hands on these."  
  
Faith thought back to Morag. The town's former medicine woman... that could certainly be thought of as a powerful position, she thought. Especially if they lived in the circumstances that the denizens of the Village of the Damned had: little food, little water; raids almost every night. Then she realised that it was almost no different in Looking-Glass Land. "There aren't very many places that the Red Queen hasn't shattered, are there?" she asked despondently.  
  
"There are none. And the closer you get to her realm, the worse it gets. To go into Queensland at all is suicide."  
  
"That's where I'm trying to go," Faith said quietly.  
  
The lady bishop stared at her, long and hard. "Why?"  
  
"I've come here to kill the Red Queen. And I will."  
  
"Why are you so confident?" The lady bishop was a little confused, and appeared rather doubtful of her sanity on top of that.  
  
"I'm Wonderland's last hope, I think. I have to do this, and if I'm not sure about my abilities, then who in their right mind can be?" That felt like a lie. In truth, she wasn't nearly as confident as she was making herself out to be.  
  
"I think you're insane," the bishop shook her head.  
  
"I must be, if I'm stuck in this place," Faith replied, gesturing all round. She forgot that the bullet wound was there, however, and winced. The bishop saw it and gasped, pulling Faith's dress down enough to get to it. A rook threaded two needles, handing one to the bishop. Faith tried not to look.  
  
"Oh my... Where are the red herbs?"  
  
A female knight tossed them over. "There. Why is she here?" It was evident that she had only just arrived a few minutes ago, and seemed to think that Faith had fainted.  
  
"She says that she's here to kill the Red Queen," the lady bishop said pensively, stitching the wound together, sprinkling the red herbs into it as she stitched.  
  
"And all power to her," the female knight said, surprisingly pleased. "It's about time that someone's actually concentrating on her rather than on her forces."  
  
"Why are you here?" The lady bishop asked the knight, irked.  
  
"The White King sent me. He knows that Faith is here and wants to see her as soon as you're done."  
  
"Well, she won't be done for a few minutes..."  
  
"Wait!" Faith said quickly. The knight jumped and whinnied in surprise. "What more needs to be done?"  
  
"The herbs need to take effect," the lady bishop said. Impatiently Faith stood. "I really am fine," she protested. "The bulk of this I don't need." She pulled the shoulder of her dress up and began searching for the rest of her clothes.  
  
"These could get infected, and then where would you be?"  
  
Faith grimaced. "I'll be right there," she told the knight. To the lady bishop: "Really, I'm fine. The herbs are taking great effect."  
  
The bishop gave her a dubious frown. "Wait a moment. I'm experienced with these herbs. You may want to sit down."  
  
Faith sighed and sat down. Then she felt a burning sensation in her arms and cheeks and everywhere else there were bandages. She started fidgeting and desperately trying to keep herself from tearing the herbs off. Who knew what the bloody things were doing to her? The bishop, meanwhile, was gazing at her, satisfied.  
  
"Now they're working, friend," she said simply.  
  
"Is there anything to do?" Faith asked, hoping that the damn chess piece would catch the drift that her whole body, especially her shoulder, was killing her.  
  
"Just wait it out. And keep the cast on for a few hours."  
  
"...Hours?"  
  
"Is that too much?"  
  
"No," Faith said, baffled. "In my world, they need to be kept on for weeks."  
  
"This is Wonderland, and you had those herbs. Speaking of which, here they are. Rather depleted in some areas, but plenty left."  
  
"Thank you," Faith sighed. There was no arguing with bloody bishops.  
  
She stood, and a few shorter pieces began unwinding the bandages, save the cast. As they dropped off one by one, she saw that the cuts had become little more than small, thin scabs. The bullet wound would leave a scar when it finished healing, but she could move her arm fine. She wondered if she would still have them when she returned to the real world.  
  
Abruptly, Faith realised that the chess pieces had suddenly gone eerily quiet. The sky darkened, the same mysterious darkness that she had encountered in the Fortress. Rabbit had said that it was clouds. But clouds hadn't explained the strange fear then, and it didn't explain the sudden, choking panic now. When she glanced over at the healers, they were all staring up into the sky, terrified. She looked up too, and saw a creature circling very high above them, silhouetted against the chequered sky. She could make out very little of the shape, only a long tail and a serpentine head. Bright, flashing eyes.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" she asked, but the chess pieces practically tackled her.  
  
"Quiet!" one of them hissed.  
  
A spurt of flame spilled from its mouth and the chess pieces recoiled, though there was no chance in hell of the flames reaching even the tallest tower in the Pale Realm. A long, low roar echoed through the marble of the city, growing louder as the sound travelled through the corridors and courtyards. Faith felt her heart beating wildly, and she quickly wiped away cold sweat from her face.  
  
Then, as quickly as it had come, it left. "What WAS that?" Faith hissed.  
  
"The... the..." one of them startled, but he was shaking so badly that he couldn't force the words out.  
  
"Jab-Jab... was the Jab..."  
  
"Jab?" Faith asked incredulously.  
  
"Jabberwock," the bishop finally strangled out. Her normally composed face was suddenly haggard.  
  
"But... what was it doing here?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Loo... Oh, hell," one of the knights said angrily. "Ask-Ask the K-King."  
  
Then the bishop gave a signal and all of the pieces swiftly dispersed, save for three uneasy pawns bearing her sweater and her boots. Faith barely noticed as they tugged them on without speaking, and sped away for all they were worth.  
  
Finally, she was on her way. Gazing up at the rapidly dimming stars, she wondered if she had remained there too long. This time, the clouds covered the sky, and she remembered Rabbit's uneasiness in the fort. When it began to rain, she started running. "How the bloody hell did this happen?" she muttered, glaring up at the suddenly red sky. Maybe the Red Queen? No, that was ridiculous. Even the Red Queen couldn't control the weather. But if she couldn't, then why was the rain red? All around her white pieces were taking cover, and Faith wondered if she should maybe do the same.  
  
She ran up to an archway and sat in it for a little, mostly sheltered, and wondering why the white pieces seemed to run from everything. Then again, these were healers, not soldiers. But still. They said that they could fight, so why didn't they? Abruptly she remembered that the King was waiting for her, and decided to brave the rain and get moving. The rain stopped very soon.  
  
She dashed around a corner, and was greeted by a group of red pieces and card guards. "Oh, you again," she muttered disgustedly on seeing the latter. They stared at her, their faces an alarming mixture of malice and stupidity. She drew out the knife. A diamond card guard stepped forwards.  
  
"Surrender now and throw down your weapons, or we will be forced to kill you. You are to be brought to trial before the Red Queen for treason and rebellion, for conspiracy to overthrow the Queen, for instigating and assisting in the escape of a dangerous terrorist, for terrorism, for murder of the Queen's officers and guards, and for malicious mischief directed against the government."  
  
Faith raised an eyebrow. "The mantis couldn't make me believe that. Nor could he kill me. What makes you so sure I'll go with you?"  
  
"We received direct orders from General Samien that you are not to be harmed. Merely brought to face trial before the Queen."  
  
"Yeah, right," Faith muttered. "Sorry, but I'd rather fight than go on trial in chains." She started to bring down the knife, but a hand caught her arm. She turned and saw a handsome, though sinister face. "Who are you?" she asked. It was with unease that she noticed the card guards' suddenly attentive stances.  
  
"I am General Samien of her Majesty the Queen's army," he replied, pronouncing his name like 'Damien', but with an 'S'. His voice was a smooth baritone, pleasant, but chilling. "I suppose I don't need to guess who you are, Faith."  
  
"I've been told that I must surrender," she said derisively. He nodded, and let go of her wrist.  
  
"Make it easy for us, Faith. If you don't, it will be nothing but a game of cat-and-mouse... and you know who the mouse will be."  
  
"Yes," she said, running a finger down the knife's blade and glancing at the card guards. "Any unfortunate soldier of the Queen's that happens to get in my way." They shifted uncomfortably.  
  
He sighed, shaking his head. "Then I have no choice but to order them to attack."  
  
"Go ahead," she said coldly. "Watch them die, one by one. And then, you." He chuckled.  
  
"I don't think so, Faith."  
  
He turned towards his unit. Then they heard the noises. Thundering, scraping, and the card guards and red pieces were clearly alarmed. Then the whites came. Row upon row of them, some wounded, some not, but all coming at them with a single purpose in mind: to kill the Queen's forces. Faith saw with some nervousness the idiot knights that she had met at the Challenge door. "Oh, shite," she muttered. Samien smirked at her.  
  
"Sorry that your position is so compromising... friend."  
  
"Don't call me that," she warned, bringing the knife up to his throat. It was both a smart and a dumb move: dumb because the red pieces immediately attacked her, but smart in that the whites jumped to her defence immediately. Then there was chaos when the whites and the reds clashed, with Faith and Samien caught dead in the middle. Samien started shouting orders, but Faith countered them, yelling out to the knights, pawns, bishops, and castles on her side and throwing her knife at the card guards. Steadily, they fell. Samien's forces were overwhelmed.  
  
"Retreat!" he shouted. The few remaining red pieces straggled back, but the whites had already surrounded them and were rapidly moving in for the kill. Samien shot a venomous glance at Faith and snapped his fingers. A portal appeared, and he let himself be pulled into it, leaving his remaining pieces to be killed.  
  
She turned to the army in shock. "How did you get here in time?" she asked, confused.  
  
"In time for what?" a loud voice in the back inquired.  
  
"In time to save me quite a bit of work," she said, relieved. The two knights hopped forwards.  
  
"Through us," the female said smugly. Faith inclined her head.  
  
"Thank you," she murmured. The male laughed.  
  
"Now, what was all that nonsense about an army of one?"  
  
"I could have killed them," Faith shrugged. "But when help is given, especially such help as this, who could possibly refuse?"  
  
"An excellent question, my lady," said a -very- tall bishop that was standing nearby. "I am to take you to the King now."  
  
Finally, she would get answers! 


	30. Chapter 30

Faith was led through a heavy archway into a courtyard, where a small fountain stood in the middle of a huge lowered terrace. The steps that led down to it were grey, adding a very, very subtle contrast to the stark black and white. The walls opened up to the sky, and white castles scoured the battlements, watching for any foes or visitors that may appear. Across the courtyard, huge black doors with ornate white designs stood imposingly.  
  
The procession across the courtyard took an extraordinarily long time to Faith. Cat and Rabbit had rushed her all around Wonderland. Now she wanted to hurry more than ever, and this was probably the slowest she had gone since arriving. She clasped the bag that Morag had given her but her hand tried to scramble past, feeling for something that wasn't there. Jeremy's pendant. Frantically her hand moved, searching for her last remaining good memory of her brother. A pawn to her left gave her a strange look and plodded a little faster. Faith didn't care. If she had lost that pendant, there was no way that she could - oh, thank goodness.  
  
Her hand clasped the chain. It had twisted behind her neck, so that the pendant part hung down her back and the clasp fastened at the base of her throat. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her pace. She wanted to speak with the King.  
  
The bishop stopped them about halfway through the courtyard. "Hold!" he called. Faith didn't stop all at once, but did significantly slow down. The bishop glared at her and she halted. "I will speak with the King, and it will be up to him as to whether he will speak to Faith."  
  
She groaned. It was a small sound, but the innate silence of the place amplified it so that there was not a chess piece that didn't hear. The side of the bishop's mouth quirked in something that was half an annoyed grimace, half an amused grin. "I will not be long," he promised.  
  
Whatever his promise, it was about an hour before she could speak with the White King. "Cat!" she called despondently.  
  
He appeared. "You don't seem to need help. Why are you calling me?"  
  
"Company," she replied. "The chess pieces are still a little leery of me." He raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Indeed. What have you been doing in my absence? Stirring up trouble in the Red Queen's forces, I hear."  
  
She briefly described the standoff, remembering most of the charges against her, but listing only about half. "Samien and I, we had words, but that was really about all that happened."  
  
"Until the white pieces came..."  
  
"And saw me with my knife against his throat."  
  
"And the red pieces about to attack you, I'd imagine."  
  
"Yeah," she nodded. Then she thought for a little while, back to what had gone on between them. "His eyes were a little strange. It was like I'd seen them before, almost."  
  
"Well, maybe you did," he said pointedly. "Wonderland hasn't been this way forever." She laughed.  
  
"You're right, as usual, Cat. D'you think I'll get to see the King soon?"  
  
"You certainly break tangents often," he teased. "Maybe, maybe not. There have been a few spies seen about recently, so the bishop is probably in there arguing against letting you in, however kind he may have acted before. But the King does want to see you, so it will take quite a bit to convince him otherwise."  
  
Faith sat down hard against a wall. "I'll be in here for forever," she grumbled. "Cat?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"When will we be able to have that conversation?"  
  
Cat sighed. "Not yet. Soon. After you leave the Pale Realm."  
  
"That'll be soon?" she asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Oh yes," he assured her. "They may be reluctant to let anyone in, but they're quite wild about getting them out."  
  
The bishop slid out of the gate, looking important. Faith jumped up in anticipation. "Will the guardians of the Castle Challenge step inside!"  
  
"Bastard!" Faith ground out, frustrated.  
  
The next fifteen minutes were spent pacing, with the white pieces calmly watching her, puzzled at her impatience and mildly suspicious of it as well.  
  
The bishop slid out again. "Will the guardians of the Knight Challenge step inside!"  
  
"Is that us? Didn't he say knight?" whispered the male.  
  
"No, stupid. He meant the 'Night' Challenge!" the female hissed. Faith seized the opportunity to slip inside herself, creeping past the pieces as they tried to convince the Knights that yes, the bishop really did mean them. She hurried down the hall and up a flight of stairs, then through another hall, until she stood at a huge, elaborate set of doors adorned with the image of a white crown and sceptre.  
  
"If there was ever any chance of me seeing the King, let these open," she muttered, sending up a desperate prayer. She pushed one of the doors open slightly, enough for her to slip in. The King was pacing around, waiting.  
  
"You are not the bishop," he said suspiciously, hearing her footsteps but not yet facing her.  
  
"No," she replied, suddenly nervous. He stood a full two heads taller than her. "I'm Faith."  
  
"The bishop let you in? He told me he was going to fetch the knights." But he seemed slightly pleased... Faith hoped he did, anyway.  
  
"He did," she said quietly. "But I couldn't wait. It took a very long time for me to get here, and I couldn't wait."  
  
The King turned to face her for the first time. His face was grave, and there was desolation in his eyes. Faith understood what she was fighting for. She was fighting to be rid of the pain in his eyes. The pain that echoed in her soul. It hurt to see the utter despair in his face, because she knew that it was inside of her as well.  
  
"You seek me, but you say nothing."  
  
"I'm sorry," she said. "I have much to ask."  
  
"Before you do," he interrupted gently, "I have to ask you to show me your hands." Confused, she held them up. "Palms facing me, please."  
  
He took the one with the scar and peered at it. Finally a grin broke through the melancholy exterior. "You ARE Faith," he smiled. "Alice's heir."  
  
"I'll have that the rest of my life, you know," she was a little peeved that it was only used to identify her to one person. He smiled.  
  
"Yes, I do. I'm not the only one it is proof for, however."  
  
"Well then, who else?"  
  
"I don't believe that this is what you wanted to see me for."  
  
Faith sighed. "It's not. There's a lot that I want to ask."  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Again!" She must have seemed dangerous at that point, because the King looked as though he were reconsidering.  
  
"Before I answer any questions, there is something that you must do for me."  
  
"No. I want my answers first."  
  
"If we stop and banter now, it may be too late!"  
  
"For what?!" Faith burst out.  
  
"My lord," said another bishop, sliding in. He was pale (if it's possible to describe a white chess piece that way) and visibly shaken.  
  
"Yes?" the King asked anxiously. Faith suddenly grew rather nervous.  
  
"The Red King has ordered that the White Queen be executed in twenty minutes."  
  
The White King turned to Faith. "That is what you must do. Rescue my Queen, and you may have anything that you desire."  
  
"Where do I need to go?" she asked the bishop. She ignored the King - she was not interested in reward. The bishop pointed to the distance, and she saw red-and-black chequered tiles. "A checkers game?" she asked dubiously.  
  
"No, it is chess. It is traditionally (for them) red and white, but the Queen has a distaste for the latter colour."  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and took off at full speed, headed towards the red village.  
  
"Did you tell her where she needed to go?" the King asked the bishop in a low voice.  
  
"She never gave me the chance," he replied, bewildered.  
  
"By the way, Faith, what you seek lies within the high tower," Cat said languidly. Faith looked for his grin.  
  
"It's going to get a lot more difficult once I get in, isn't it?"  
  
"Most assuredly." His tail twitched, and soon the rest of him appeared. "There are quite a few corners in this land. A certain little trinket of yours may be valuable."  
  
Faith reached down inside her sweater, pulling the leather cord out. Her jewel had gone from its original blue to red. Danger was near. A clock in the distance chimed four. "The Pale Queen will be executed at precisely 4:15," he warned.  
  
Fifteen minutes left. She darted down a narrow alleyway, away from the danger, and dashed across a bridge that ran over a red lake. It had been grey in the Pale Realm, she noted. Now, here in the Scarlet Dominion it ran like blood. She ran into the tower that the bridge connected to and grabbed a shield from an armoury rack, and threw it on the ground in front of her. What she was about to try demonstrated her insanity more than any crazy stunt she had tried yet, she thought. She only hoped that it would work.  
  
The ruckus that the shield made on its way down was enough to drown out her exhilarated whooping, but unfortunately also caused enough of one that a few pieces were bound to notice. Breathless, she hopped off as it shot off of the steps, impaling an investigating red knight through the neck. It gave a feeble whinny of shock and collapsed. Faith ran quickly, headed for the tower, which she was steadily drawing closer to.  
  
She was almost there, and thirteen minutes left. She was amazed at how quickly she had gone, but she didn't slow. A bishop charged and she took out her knife and threw it. The combined force of her throwing the knife while running at full speed and him charging created a spectacular display. The bishop's base flew up, while his head went back. His body somersaulted and she ran past it as it came to a stop. "Faith is on a roll!" she mouthed to herself, pumping a quick fist in the air. The purple herbs were starting to take effect.  
  
She darted through a byway that led to the next branch of the river. From there, it led straight to the castle. The only thing blocking her path was a gate that extended down to the top of the water. She glanced into the river periodically as she ran, and saw nothing inside. Still, something wasn't right. When she reached the gate, she dipped her fingers into the water. It burned like shite! She shook it off and smelled it. It didn't smell acidic; was it merely hot?  
  
Eleven minutes. There was a shout from behind her, and she looked back. Several strong red pieces were attacking. Faith reached behind her for the ice wand and pulled it out. They still came at her, and she started blasting. They froze and she quickly pushed the wand through a hole in the gate, and swung herself underneath to relative safety.  
  
It hurt! She sat for a moment, then stood and grabbed the wand, shaking herself off. Then she was off again. Everywhere the water had touched burned, but at that point, she didn't care. She had to save the Pale Queen. The tower should be just ahead, at a long flight of spiral stairs. Crap, she had to climb all of those! She darted up the long, curved staircase, resolving to make her descent much easier.  
  
She reached the main floor with eight minutes left. From there, there were two hallways; identical and very long, with many doors. Furthermore, not only did she not know which room the Queen would be in, but she had no idea what the hell she was supposed to do once she found her. A noise sounded behind her; a strange creaking sound. Faith darted through an open doorway and peered out from behind the doorjamb. Several strong red pieces appeared. They had with them the Pale Queen, who was barely conscious. "Ah, shite," she muttered. The red pieces didn't hear, and began setting up their execution chamber a few doors past hers. Then they sent a castle to alert the King that the Queen was ready for execution.  
  
Once the castle was out of sight of the door, Faith let him see her, stepping out of the room and darting around the corner he had just turned. "Hey!" she called, a little more quietly than she normally would have. "Don't you want me dead, too?" He seemed confused, but recognition dawned and he charged. She grabbed her knife and stabbed his throat. He gurgled slightly, and fell.  
  
"What was that?" one of the other pieces asked.  
  
"Nothing. Hey, could you help me? This blade's heavy, and the King wouldn't like not witnessing this."  
  
She darted back, ice wand at the ready, and stood in the doorway. A bishop and a knight were arguing over how to best work the guillotine. Faith rolled her eyes and raised the wand. The knight looked up and she fired before he could whinny a warning to the also-doomed bishop, who was next to receive the blast.  
  
The White Queen stared at Faith in amazement. "You!" she exclaimed in overjoyed relief. "I had a dream that my husband would send a saviour to rescue me."  
  
Faith quickly cut the bonds that held the monarch to the table, and when the Queen was free, she extended her hand. "We're not out of danger yet. Hurry and follow me."  
  
"Indeed!" the Queen exclaimed joyously. Faith ordinarily would have been a little irritated at the excessive happiness, but it felt good to rescue someone minutes away from death.  
  
"Come on," she said, and pulled her out. The area was empty and they hurried to the stairs, Faith running and the Queen sliding fluidly across the tiles. Faith fired the ice wand at the stairs, forming a very cold slide down and jumped on, steering with her feet. The Queen followed her lead and the two rocketed down, landing at least ten feet away. "Whoa." Faith was a little dizzy, but kept a solid lead, running down the passageways until they reached the stream, and prepared to dive in.  
  
The Queen, who had unquestioningly followed Faith that far, hesitated. "Is there no other way?"  
  
"Unless someone can break down that..." and trailed off, for that was exactly what the Queen was doing. A large section of the gate lay in shambles moments later, and the Queen turned to Faith, very pleased with herself. Faith did not blame her. "Let's go," she said. The Queen nodded and followed again.  
  
They had just reached the Scarlet Dominion's borders when six strong red pieces stopped them. "We'll have to fight this out," Faith said quietly to the Queen.  
  
"Fight?" the Queen asked uneasily. Faith turned to her disbelievingly.  
  
"The Queen is the strongest piece in chess! If you fight with me, we can take these things together and be all the faster!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"If you don't, they'll kill you, me and your husband once the strongest white piece has been knocked out of play!" Faith exclaimed angrily.  
  
"My husband?"  
  
"They'll kill him if we lose! We have to defend him!"  
  
The Queen's placid expression twisted into an angry snarl. "How dare they that would kill my husband!" she yelled, and battle was on.  
  
Faith slashed a knight's chest using the knife in one hand, and bashed the side of his head with the mallet in the other. The Queen pummelled and smashed with her fists, mangling and crushing bones and faces. The knight collapsed and Faith twisted away from an incoming bishop, swinging the mallet at him once he came close enough. His blood sprayed onto Faith's sweater, and she kicked him away and attacked another piece. The Queen, meanwhile was utterly destroying a knight, pounding his skull with her stone fists. BAM! CRASH! CRAACK!  
  
In very short order, the two stood in a pile of mangled red bodies, and Faith sighed in relief. "Thank you," she said, turning to the Queen.  
  
"For what, dear?"  
  
"For helping. You were amazing!"  
  
"Oh, thank you," she said bashfully. "You were quite a whirlwind yourself."  
  
Faith laughed. "And you had all the crushing power of a hurricane. Now, let's get you back to the King."  
  
"Just a moment, dear." Faith turned.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you jump into the grey stream? I'm afraid that you're rather red all over."  
  
Faith looked down at herself. No more blue sweater, purple dress or pale skin. Now her legs were beet-red, her sweater was purple and her dress had turned something of a magenta colour. She was quick to comply, but first she unstrapped all of her weapons. Off went the knife at her right hip, the jackbomb at her left rear, the mallet at her back, and the ice wand strapped to her left hip like a sword. Then she took off her sweater for a damage check. It was in surprisingly good condition, and the healers had stitched it up as well, using stark white thread on the deep blue.  
  
She walked into the grey stream, with the sweater in hand. The Queen frowned down at her, puzzled. "Don't you need to take off your boots?"  
  
"No, I actually think they're waterproof." The Queen nodded admiringly.  
  
"Now, douse your head as well. Your face is rather pink, too." Faith had little doubt that it was less red than her legs had been, and stuck her head underneath the surface, throwing her head back up when she felt it had been long enough. The Queen cleaned and polished her weapons. Her knife shone its original silver; the mallet was its normal colour again, which appeared to be lavender. Her jackbomb, always multicoloured, took on a less reddish hue. The always-gleaming ice wand didn't need to be touched. 


	31. Chapter 31

General Samien walked up to his room, searching for someplace quiet to think. "You must be thinking," a voice behind him said. A well-dressed young man stood there, leaning against the wall, playing with the folds of his cape. He smirked when Samien glanced up. "After all, little else could cause you to look as though you are in such pain."  
  
"Spare me the witticisms," Samien ground out.  
  
"Oh, but my good Samien. You're usually so full of them. Why should mine bother you?"  
  
"...Because yours are terrible."  
  
"That hurt."  
  
"Away, snake."  
  
"Oh. That stung too," the young man said dryly. "You could certainly say that, couldn't you?"  
  
"Stop poisoning my ears," Samien snapped. "I came here to get peace, not a pathetic ingrate with a forked tongue chattering around."  
  
"I understand that you had a little run-in with Faith," the young man said in a pseudo-innocent voice, studying his slender, gloved hands. Samien knew what was coming, and turned away. "I also understand that it didn't go too well." Here the young man peered up at Samien from the corner of his eye.  
  
"You hear much, yet I notice that it is always you who hides behind the Queen's power, while I am the one that enforces it. I am the one who gets onto the battlefield."  
  
"You spoke to her," he said ominously. "Do I detect a tryst?"  
  
"You see too much and comprehend too little," Samien said.  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" the younger man demanded.  
  
"What I mean is that only you can observe two people exchanging death threats and believe it to be vows of love. And a snake is too good for you. You are nothing more than a maggot - a cowardly maggot that I could squash with my boot at any given moment."  
  
"And only you could assume that I meant it was a lover's meeting." He seemed to recover quickly enough.  
  
"You, yourself said it," Samien replied mildly. The younger man gnashed his teeth in frustration. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Maggot, I wish for some rest. Some advice. Brush up on your wit. If wits were a battle, you would be thoroughly unarmed. Good day."  
  
The young man lingered long after Samien had gone into his room. "You will pay for all of these insults, for all of the torment you put me through. I don't know how, but I WILL make you pay." He turned quickly and stalked off, his cape billowing behind him. "You will pay."  
  
Samien leaned his head against the doorjamb. He was out of patience for the cocky young man who had swept into court one day, announcing that he had found a rebel hideaway. It was empty when the soldiers reached there, but there was a map with a few other hideouts marked on it.  
  
His forces had been deployed, but most ventures were unsuccessful. It turned out that the map was very old; a historical relic from the days of Alice. His troops were not blamed, but neither was the bold, arrogant young man who had wasted his time on a wild goose chase. The Queen seemed to like him.  
  
Then he had uncovered another hideaway, a recent one this time. They had captured a few rebels that had lingered and subsequently executed them for treason. None of them had been important. However, he had discovered something that he could later use to his advantage. Something that could turn the tables on his dear old... friend.  
  
Now the Queen led Faith. Through the streets and into the palace through the Queen's way, coming straight into the courtyard. "My husband!" she called.  
  
"My Queen!" the King took off, hopping one square at a time as she dashed to him, and she covered much more distance at her smooth, fast glide. They met and embraced with relief. Many of the chess pieces averted their eyes, and decided that Faith was a good enough distraction.  
  
She merely stood against the wall, playing with her knife and waiting for the King to get around to answering her questions.  
  
"Come, my Queen, we must talk strategy now," the King said. Faith heard and jumped forward.  
  
"Wait a minute!" she yelled. "What about the answers you promised me?" The King turned.  
  
"Oh. I had quite forgotten about you. Forgive me."  
  
"Wait. You think that you can just blow me off and then expect me to pretend it never happened?" she glared at him. "I don't know if any answers that you can give me can compensate."  
  
The King drew forwards angrily, but the Queen laid a light hand on his arm. She spoke to him for a moment, and he finally nodded. "Come with us," he said finally.  
  
Faith nodded mutely and followed. Suddenly she felt very guilty. And beyond that, it was in front of his men. By the time they reached the council room, Faith was feeling positively afraid. She tried to speak an apology several times on the way there, but the words would stick in her throat and refuse to come out, despite her desperate attempts to the contrary.  
  
"In here," the King said brusquely. Faith nodded and slunk into the room.  
  
The first thing that she noticed was the huge desk that stood in the centre. On it were various maps, diagrams and charts that gave the approximate position of the enemy, both in Looking-Glass Land and others, from the Fortress of Doors to Dementia to some place that she had never heard of before. Land of Fire and Brimstone. Sounded pleasant. Queen of Hearts Land. Even better.  
  
She studied the maps on the table for a little while. "Are these maps current?" she found herself asking.  
  
The King started. "Yes. The three on top were delivered yesterday by runner."  
  
Faith studied them. "These are the rebels?" she asked, pointing to a small hollow beyond Dementia. The King nodded. "How many are there?" she asked.  
  
"Rebels? Hmm... I would guess about sixty." Faith stared hard.  
  
"How many card guards?"  
  
"About three hundred. There's an outpost there," and he pointed. Faith nodded.  
  
"I know. I've been there." The King was visibly surprised. "Its weakness is the tunnel," she said, pointing, and drawing a small correction with a quill she had found. "If that tunnel is blocked or collapsed, they won't be able to get through. It's quite narrow in parts, even for a card guard."  
  
The King checked the map, and sighed dubiously. "No rebel has gone that far and lived," he said simply. "The mapping is very uncertain."  
  
"If there's another way; another opening, I didn't explore it. But the tunnel I went through led to their mess hall."  
  
"What happened there?"  
  
"I met a spider... and walked through peanut butter. I forgot what happened; the spider poked me and I went all woozy."  
  
"Then how do you know what it was like?"  
  
"Well... I went there. It's a short tunnel, and it leads underground. If something big and heavy enough stopped up the entrance, you would have at least eighty trapped diamond guards."  
  
The White King looked hard at it. "I will alert the resident rebels," he said simply. "They can decide for themselves if it will work."  
  
"Oh!" she muttered, remembering, and withdrew the maps that she had taken from the dead card guards. "These may help, too. It's the layout of the Fortress of Doors, and it has the card guards' positions on it," she handed it to him, and he smiled now.  
  
"This will be of great service. Thank you, Faith." He placed them with a small pile of papers on his desk.  
  
"You're welcome... by the way," she said quietly. He turned. "I'm sorry. I don't really know why I said all of that back there."  
  
He nodded. "I do. Take some time, and the answer will come. That is one answer that I will not give you. Try it honestly; don't try rationalization or justification. Just think about it.  
  
"Now, what do you wish me to answer?" He sat down on a small, practical throne that looked great for thinking.  
  
"The Cheshire Cat told me that I would get instructions when I met the Pale Royals. But can I hold onto that for a moment?"  
  
"Of course. Is something else on your mind?"  
  
Faith hesitated. "What do you know of General Samien?"  
  
The Pale King spat. "Only that his forces have been a thorn in the sides of the rebels; with their raids, spies..."  
  
"Spies?"  
  
"Yes," the White Queen answered. "It was because of an unknown spy that I was captured. But there has been word that there is a young man in the ranks; he is almost set to top even the General."  
  
"He discovers much vital information somehow. He must have ties to our inner circle." The King sighed, exasperated even thinking of the young man.  
  
"But... let me try to understand. General Samien is much more hated than this young man, but the young man is becoming a great favourite of the Queen?"  
  
"General Samien is much more well known, though his ascent to the top was just as fast. Most of the rebels around Dementia and the woods have never seen him. But those of us here in the Pale Realm loathe him, or at least his forces," the Queen frowned.  
  
"The general is also much more recognisable. He frequently gets into the middle of battles, whereas I do not believe that anyone alive has seen this young man's face," the King agreed.  
  
"Then how do we know that he's young?" Faith asked, perplexed. The King and Queen shared a pointed look.  
  
"Faith," the Queen said quietly, "she never chooses old men. Only young ones."  
  
"And, from what I understand, handsome ones," the King shrugged.  
  
"Probably compensating for the King," the Queen grumbled.  
  
"I can certainly understand your point of view there, Dear," the King grimaced. "The King is not the most attractive of individuals."  
  
Faith paused. Samien was handsome, doubtless. However, he was also evil, and undoubtedly heartless. She didn't need to remind herself of that part at all. "Does he completely control all of the troops?"  
  
"Mostly, though they do go out on random, unsupervised raids. The attack on the women and children, for example. Even Samien wouldn't stoop so low as to attack them."  
  
"But he would stoop as low as to play Cat-and-Mouse with his army and me," Faith muttered disgustedly.  
  
"You are different. He seems to have a rather accurate idea as to what you are capable of," the Queen pointed out.  
  
"I suppose," Faith admitted. "But he as good as told me that it would be against his army, not him."  
  
The King and Queen looked at each other again, though this was a much more satisfied exchange. The King spoke. "If I was informed correctly, you essentially replied that you would kill any pieces he sent after you... Faith, you have the ace in your hand now! You have them afraid."  
  
She nodded. "I know. But I'm just one person. How can one person make the best play against thousands?"  
  
"Through effort, courage, persistence, and all three pieces of this," the King replied, handing her a long, polished black staff. It stood about five and a half feet tall, which meant that Faith couldn't measure up even when she stood on her toes. "That is not the whole thing, mind you. Alice's original was totally destroyed in her battle against the Queen. A new one formed. Will it be more potent? Less? Equal? I cannot say."  
  
"What exactly is it?" she asked, already wondering how they expected her to tote it (and everything else) around with her all of the time.  
  
"This is part of the Jabberwock Eye Scythe... progeny of the Jabberwock Eye Staff," Cat's silky voice sounded just behind her. She turned slowly, not wanting to hit him with the stick. "The same rules apply as with the original staff, though. Combined, they are one of the most potent toys you will find here. Unfortunately, without all of the pieces, each is worth less than a gambler's trust fund."  
  
Faith stared down at it. "Oh," she said. "Great."  
  
They all stared at her. "So excited," the Queen said doubtfully.  
  
"Well, it's great, it really is. But am I going to have to carry this with me while I'm running around fighting? When it's totally useless?" Reluctantly, they nodded.  
  
"What was the Jabberwock doing here earlier?" she asked suddenly. They both faded somewhat in colour.  
  
"Jabberwock... here?" Faith nodded. Cat thought.  
  
"Looking for you, I'd imagine."  
  
"And why did Rabbit get so nervous about the clouds in the fort?"  
  
The King answered, his voice slightly higher in pitch than normal. "That is... its way of letting the Queen know he's found you. The red shows her exactly where you are." Faith stared.  
  
"Faith, I cannot give you any more advice until you-"  
  
"Do you another favour," she sighed. They nodded again. "Why? I rescued the Queen, you promised -"  
  
"Faith, this really would be more of a favour to all of the chess pieces, as opposed to just us. Please. Only you can do it," the Queen said.  
  
Faith wasn't sure she liked where this was headed. "What must I do?"  
  
"You must kill the Red King. He is the supreme force in Looking-Glass land, but he himself is weak." The King got up and paced for a few minutes. "Doubtless many pieces have tried; indeed, many of our best and bravest have challenged him, but he is too strong for them. But you... you can do this."  
  
"Well," Faith said, trying to force her vocal chords to work properly again. "Why is he too strong?"  
  
"He bears a few weapons unnatural to a chess piece," Cat purred. "But you seem of the opinion that Card Guards are weak enough."  
  
"But I've only faced diamonds and clubs so far!" Faith exclaimed.  
  
"True," Cat conceded. "But he does not have the heart cards' weapons, and you will doubtless meet a spade or two once in his domain."  
  
Faith felt a heavy sense of dread growing in the pit of her stomach. "What are the hearts?"  
  
"If he is as he was the last time someone got it into their head to challenge him, then he won't need the weapons of his heart guards," the King shrugged. The Queen scowled, but not at him.  
  
"The other card guards are annoying enough, but hearts are just plain mean."  
  
Faith paused. "How about we stop focusing on the hearts and start focusing on how to get me into his Keep without... erm, getting wet?"  
  
"You've spent entirely too much time with the Cheshire Cat," the King smiled. Cat raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She spends more time with the White Rabbit than she does with me."  
  
Faith gaped at him in disbelief. "Are you leaving me, Cat?" she chided, though she felt a little confused as to what he meant.  
  
"Of course not, pet. I merely thought that I would clarify who you've spent entirely too much time with." His tail flicked back and forth languidly, but he kept his eyes on her.  
  
"Well then," she said, finding her 'confident' voice. "Care to join me? Have a little bonding-over-killing-something session?"  
  
"Unfortunately, I find that it is in my nature to bond more over riddles than blood. But I can assure you that once you can solve one of them on your own, in under ten minutes, then we'll have sufficiently bonded."  
  
Faith groaned and turned to the royals. The Queen smiled and wished her luck. The King was a little more solemn. "Though it is likely that you go to your doom, good luck, Faith." She could only stare in slack-jawed disbelief. Even now, he was still expecting her to die! But then, she had never seen the Red King, so she knew that he could very well be right.  
  
It was a surprisingly boring voyage back to the Scarlet Dominion. The white pieces cheered and waved her off, though the ones that seemed to know where she was going waved black handkerchiefs and shed a tear or two. Faith could really only roll her eyes at this.  
  
It was in short order that she reached the boundary between the whites and the reds, and when she saw it again she realised just how little she felt like going back in there. The colour combination of black and red generally speeds up one's heart rate and adrenaline, and it worked fantastically on her already frayed nerves.  
  
"Can things get any worse?" she muttered, stepping into a rather peculiarly shaped lift. It carried her up to a narrow red pathway, and the doors slowly creaked open at the raised bridge. Things only got worse after that. A group of three diamonds, one club and two spades came running out of the tower on the other side, stopping in the middle and preparing to charge. The diamonds and the spades started firing, and the spades' missiles had a rather nasty tendency to explode on impacting whatever they hit. She dodged them at first until she felt she had been singed enough, and took out the ice wand and charged.  
  
The ones that she hit (all but one spade) were all blown back several feet, allowing her and the spade ample room for combat. "Why don't ye put oway yer pretty wee staff and fight me 'onestly, eh? Yer 'ave a ravver unfair advantage; in fact, right, it's only cowardice."  
  
Faith shrugged. "I just thought it was an easier way to kill your kind." Her eyes sparkled, rather wickedly. "Gosh, what will the survivors think when I get my next weapon?"  
  
She slid the wand away and took out her knife. Its newly cleaned blade shone red, reflecting the light of the stars. The spade looked like he seriously wanted to back away from her and run, but his darting gaze travelled behind her and he stiffened abruptly. Then he charged with a loud yell. She was startled but raised the knife, entirely ready for him.  
  
He brought his spear down hard but she knocked it out of the way and attacked, aiming for his upper-centre region. He twisted away just in time and brought his spear down again, trying to lunge for her. She stepped out of the way quickly, and shoved her knife into his lowered head as he came at her.  
  
It jammed through his skull, and she heard the familiar cracking again and inwardly winced as a fine mist of blood sprayed out, which she hurriedly backed away from.  
  
Straight into someone's arms. 


	32. Chapter 32

They grasped her tightly, as though to capture her, but she brought her heel squarely down into an expensive shoe and drove her elbow into someone's gut. She twisted out from the now-loosened grip and saw a man. It wasn't the General... this man was eviller, paler, and had an unpleasant expression. She remembered everyone talking about the new favourite, the one that no one had survived seeing, and purposefully stared at him long and hard.  
  
He stared back. "So at last I meet the famous Faith."  
  
"And I meet the Nameless Wonder."  
  
He glared at her. "You're almost as bad as that infernal Samien."  
  
"And speaking of which," Samien's voice sounded from behind her. Faith nearly died when she realised that she was caught dead in the middle of her two most dangerous enemies. "Faith is my business, Maggot."  
  
"Which you are doing a terribly poor job of doing, Samien."  
  
"The Queen has given me specific instructions, which I am following. I gave Faith the chance to surrender."  
  
"Which she, noticeably, did not. Your intimidation factor is somewhat lacking."  
  
"And who would be scared of you? You resemble your nickname more than the bug that you share it with."  
  
Faith chose this opportunity (it seemed like the two were about to come to blows; they were completely ignoring her) to quietly leave the place. She carefully swung herself over the side of the bridge, dropping safely to the one below, and looked for which way to go, now that her original route seemed unavailable. She heard the sound of a rather powerful punch, and a whiny, high-pitched scream. Then the sound of a portal being summoned, and a snort that sounded very much like Samien.  
  
He leapt down onto her bridge, blocking her path. She leapt quickly into fighting stance. He shook his head. "Oh, I'm not going to fight you. I have nothing to fight you with at present."  
  
"Then why the hell are you stopping me?"  
  
"Mostly to try to convince you to surrender, again."  
  
"Not in my lifetime," she snapped. He shrugged.  
  
"You are going to see the Red Queen either way, you know."  
  
"Yes, but there will be a difference in the way I meet her. I am not going to meet the Queen while bound in chains."  
  
"Then you have chosen to meet her in combat."  
  
"Yes, and until I see her, I shall be sure to practise my curtsey."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Your wit seems to have improved since I last saw you."  
  
She scoffed. "Now, who was that man you hit?" She held up her blade to his throat again. "Tell me something that I haven't heard."  
  
He thought for a moment. "I can really only tell you this: that he is, in fact, more deadly to you than I am. I have no real desire to hurt you. He does. His greatest wish is to present your broken, mangled body to the Queen, and receive the greatest honour that it is possible for her to give."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"Somewhere between knocking me out of my position and making him King. Either works for him."  
  
"Why are you telling me all of this?" she demanded.  
  
"Two reasons: one, because I want him dead as much as everyone else in Wonderland; he is nothing more than a thorn in my side. However, it is not... prudent, for me to dispose of him myself." His eyes flicked over to the blade in her hands. "If you follow my gaze, that is the other reason."  
  
She nodded. "Well. If it weren't for the fact that he might actually turn out a problem for me, I should prefer to let him live and torment you. Unfortunately, that is something I cannot do."  
  
"How very kind you are," he said dryly. She gave him a half-smile, half-grimace in return.  
  
"Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, guiding him over to the side of the bridge with her knife, and walking past him. "I have something of a date with the Red King."  
  
He watched her go. "That is something that I can't allow."  
  
She turned. "If you'd care to watch, an audience may not be so bad. I was deprived of one with the mantis; I could use one with the King."  
  
He took up a spear on the side of the tower. "Not my weapon of choice, but..." he shrugged and swung. She caught it - barely - with the knife. "You make do."  
  
"This is not your fight," she warned, knocking his spear away. "This fight is with the King. You've no business interfering."  
  
He paused and withdrew. "I will respect that." With that, his portal summoned, and he vanished into it.  
  
She stared after him. "That man is more puzzling than the Cheshire Cat!" She scowled and hurried off into the tower, lest any other enemies should appear. None did until she reached the castle gate. It was still being repaired, therefore there was a small crew of castles and card guards that were quickly working to put up new boards. When they saw her, they doubled their speed. She took out the mallet and approached. They continued, unfazed. The mallet connected with the door, and a big piece of it splintered out. They quickly started nailing boards across, not caring about alignment.  
  
Soon, it seemed like boards were covering the entire gate, and she stared. It was almost like an old game that she and Jeremy used to play. There was a box-like playing area, and then there was a small hollow in the middle of the square, and a board that squished the playing pieces together. It was held back by nothing more than a spring. The goal was to have the least amount of pieces, because if you didn't take the right ones, several more would pop out. The key was finding the pieces that came out the easiest.  
  
Only this was the reverse. She had to find the board that was wedged in the furthest, and then the entire thing would collapse. Hopefully.  
  
She searched a little while, poking around with the head of her mallet, until she found a board that was wedged in extremely tightly. She knew that it was the one almost before she touched it. Then she smashed it in with the mallet. The effect was spectacular.  
  
The entire thing collapsed in a pile of dust and wood, including the original gate. Faith grinned, and saw that it had totally knocked out the workers and the card guards, and dashed through, up the winding staircase... that was still quite wet, she noticed, and eventually found herself in the area that she had started out in when she was rescuing the Queen. What to do now was the question.  
  
She ducked into the shadows as two card guards ran by, yelling something incoherent at the top of their lungs. Faith could understand 'King, ' though. She also heard 'hide', 'south', and 'secret'. Seemed like they were going to hide the King south of there somewhere secret, unless there was more to it than that. She decided to follow, in case she had trouble finding him later.  
  
They ran seemingly all over the Keep, and Faith had to find a way to get herself out of a few tricky messes both unnoticed and unscathed. Finally they reached the Throne Room. "Quickly Majesty! Yer must go ter the hidin' place!" the diamond squealed.  
  
"Quickly! Faid's comin'!" the club pleaded.  
  
The King scowled, but consented. They led him out, and Faith followed. "Wait a moment," he sighed. "I seem to have left my crown in the throne room."  
  
They pleaded with him to stay, but he took out his sceptre, bashing their heads in with it. "Hide, my arse," he muttered, and slid of to the throne room. He arrived back. "Faith is coming!" he mimicked in a high-pitched voice.  
  
"No - I'm here," she said, stepping in. "And I'm ready to fight." He hit a button on his throne. At that, the walls seemed to fly away, and they were on a large platform in the midst of a void. Faith's eyes darted around, and she wondered how the hell the voids kept showing up.  
  
"So eager for blood, are we?" he said dryly. "And here I was, thinking that I may face someone above those blasted card guards."  
  
She shrugged. "I'm not mindless."  
  
"Just... almost there," he mocked. "Isn't it amusing how madness is rather like deceit? It starts small, but in the end, it consumes you. You live by lying, Faith. It's amazing that anyone has any... faith in you at all."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "You can't hurt me with words, especially not bad puns like that," she said firmly. "The Mantis tried and failed. You can try all you want, but you will, as well."  
  
"Such bravado," he sighed. "But such naïveté. You should know better than most, Faith, that words can hurt more than the most excruciating torture device. Take this: you lie to someone in a big, big way. Like what most of your so-called friends are doing to you now. You trust them with all of your heart, but how on earth will you feel after you find out that you've been betrayed by all of them?"  
  
Faith didn't answer. She was trying to block out his words, but his voice cut straight through her skin.  
  
"Like your dear friend the Cheshire Cat."  
  
"No!"  
  
He turned to her, an evil grin on his face. "You trust him? Tsk, tsk, tsk. He is one of the rebels' most shady members. And his current sham is more than enough to turn his most trustworthy friend into nothing more than a black, murderous rage. I can see that in you. It's there, deep in your core, screaming to get out."  
  
"No it's not," Faith said quickly.  
  
"Oh, but yes it is." He circled around her. "Only you and I know what you've done to yourself, what you've said to yourself in your blackest despair. How many times have you contemplated suicide - or murder?"  
  
"Believe me, I'm seriously contemplating murder right now," she hissed.  
  
"Well, you're certainly in a position to try it. I am unarmed," and he swung his sceptre, catching her in the stomach and sending her flying. She grunted in pain and stood on extremely wobbly legs. "Except for that, of course."  
  
She returned with a croquet ball, which only just missed. He smirked at her in disdain for her apparently horrible aim, but the ball bounced off of the wall and nailed the back of his head. She took out the ice wand and fired at the ground, travelling in a straight line up to an inch from his head. "Shall I continue?" she asked coldly. "Or would you rather me stop?" she drove it forwards another centimetre, and was rather satisfied to see a fine film of sweat covering his brow.  
  
"Mercy," he whispered.  
  
"Mercy? How much mercy did you think you showed when you launched your pathetic diatribe against me? How much mercy did you show when you encouraged your troops to constantly plunder and pillage everything in sight, and murder everyone they see, down to the last child?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"That's what I thought," she jeered.  
  
"Faith," he said. "You're turning into my wife as we speak. Listen to yourself."  
  
She froze and backed up. "No."  
  
He nodded and stood himself up. "Exactly like the Queen of Hearts. In fact, your tone of voice and facial expression mirrored hers so much that I almost had the two of you confused."  
  
She backed up further. He kept advancing. "Honestly. Hm. It seems that Faith Maras won't be saving the day just yet. She hasn't confronted her biggest insecurities... or her naïveté."  
  
"Why do you keep saying that?" she shouted.  
  
He fired a diamond missile at her. It landed just in front of her, but she dodged it easily. "It isn't obvious? You trust so blindly. Look at all of your friends. Unquestioningly you allowed the dwarf to lead you through the Fortress of Doors. Unthinkingly you followed the Rabbit through the Woods. You trust the White pieces completely. You listen to the Cheshire Cat and follow his advice without a second thought." He thought for a moment. "And they are your only friends here, too. Pitiful."  
  
Faith glared at him. "Don't think that you're terribly well-loved, either," she told him coldly. "Your wife despises you. Everyone calls you ugly and a multitude of synonyms for coward behind your back. Your general and the other man are her favourites for a few reasons: one, they're much better looking than you, and two; they've accomplished more than you can even dream. You call me useless, pathetic and weak, but in reality, you're nothing more than your wife's shadow or her lapdog."  
  
He roared and charged, knocking her off of the edge, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him down with her. 


	33. Chapter 33

General Samien appeared, followed quickly by Maggot. "Two birds with one stone," he said. The young man nodded. For once, they were in agreement. And since it had been the Queen's second least-favourite person in the world to kill her, they were equally uncertain about their future standings with the Queen.  
  
The two walked over to the edge to see what had become of the two, and were beyond shocked to observe the two fighting a ferocious battle as they fell. It was a combination of words and weapons, with him blasting her at every opportunity he got, and her retaliating viciously with whatever weapon was nearest. Eventually they landed on a broken chunk of wall, where still they fought, heedless of the frequent tilting and spinning of the platform.  
  
Faith dived away from his sceptre once again, and stabbed at him. He evaded and knocked her across the platform, but she was up again and charging. "Don't you ever die?" he hissed, angry.  
  
"Not against you," she mocked, and took out the mallet, waving it threateningly at him. He was so close to the edge...  
  
He didn't realise it. "You're only trying to intimidate me, aren't you? Foolish girl, it will never work. You couldn't harm me. You're not strong enough."  
  
"These petty speeches are always what gets the bad guy killed," she said, and swung with all of her strength. He stumbled and found his base more than halfway off the edge. Frantically he tried to use his weight to pull him back onto the wall, but Faith threw her knife at him a final time, and he toppled off.  
  
Faith looked up, trying to figure out how to get back up. There was a chair pretty nearby... so she jumped onto it. Only about forty more feet to go. Great, she thought sarcastically. A big vase was just above her. She jumped and swung herself onto it. Then she jumped to the left, catching a big pillow. She was stuck there for a moment, but things in the void were always moving...  
  
As she progressed up, the young man turned to Samien, in shock. "I don't believe this," he said numbly. "That fall was at least forty-five feet; how did she survive?"  
  
Samien paused, contemplating. "She must have been on top when they landed; he cushioned her fall."  
  
"Rather uncomfortable pillow," the young man observed.  
  
"That's certainly a keen observation," Samien said dryly. "Now we have do decide what to tell the Queen. She may want us to take a more active role in Faith's destruction."  
  
"...Us?"  
  
"Yes. Meaning, you will get your hands dirty every now and then, Maggot."  
  
Maggot glared at him. "Why do you always call me that?"  
  
"Well... shall we go over similar characteristics or will it suffice to say that I don't like you?"  
  
"I don't give you any rude nicknames," Maggot complained. "And I don't hit you. And I don't like you, either."  
  
"If you talked to me less, I wouldn't do these things," Samien said, rolling his eyes.  
  
Faith had just reached the last object away from solid ground when she heard the sounds of an argument. A petty one, at that. She glanced up to see who it was, and ducked back down when she saw her two most favourite people in the world.  
  
Though, they didn't seem to be waiting for her. In fact, they seemed to be arguing, and rather childishly at that. Samien seemed to be rather calm, but the other one... he was rather irritable.  
  
"Honestly. Don't you appreciate anything I do for you?"  
  
"What in hell have you done for me?" Samien demanded. He was rather angry all of a sudden.  
  
"I practically gave you those locations."  
  
Samien seemed to flinch. "The bulk of those locations were outdated, wild goose chases. You'll have to do better."  
  
Maggot seemed put out. "What about-"  
  
"Where is Faith?"  
  
Maggot peered over the edge. The wall platform was empty, except for the King's crown, which had not joined him for his fall. Faith was nowhere in sight. "It seems she has fallen as well," he said. He sounded satisfied.  
  
Samien grabbed him by the collar. "Do you realise what this means? No? It means that she may not have died. It means that she has every possibility of landing somewhere safe and simply making her way back here. She may be set back, she may even be set forwards. But unless we have definitive proof that she's dead, she could be anywhere."  
  
"You're certainly worried," Maggot said smugly.  
  
"Have you noticed my troops lately? They're probably the most mindless things in Wonderland, and they're in a stage of near mutiny."  
  
Maggot laughed. "Are they?"  
  
"Yes," Samien said wearily. "Fortunately, I can still say it's your fault and have them believe me."  
  
It took all of a second for that to sink in. "You would not dare!"  
  
"You're right," Samien agreed. "But only because our poor, misguided Queen holds you in her favour."  
  
"Ooh, she'll love being called misguided," Maggot said.  
  
"Let's go," Samien said suddenly. "We have much reporting to do."  
  
"Agreed," Maggot said gruffly, as though agreeing was the last thing that he seemed to want to do.  
  
They used their own respective means to vanish, and Faith finally hopped onto the platform, staring up at where Samien had vanished. That guy was too weird.  
  
"James. James!" Halden looked up at Jessica, who was beckoning him into the sitting room. He reluctantly got up, unwilling to leave a puzzle that she had given him a few hours ago. It was one of those terrible ones where you had to find out the pets, drinks, house colour, house position, nationality and the smokes of the respective owner of a house. It had occupied him for a while, that was for sure.  
  
He came out and saw Jean. His eyebrows raised, and he extended a hand. "Jean. Hello."  
  
She shook it gingerly. "Hi," she said. "Um, I was wondering. D'you have anything about Faith? I mean, why was she locked up in Rutledge?"  
  
"Jean... that's something that I may not be able to tell you."  
  
"Why not?" she demanded. She sounded angry.  
  
"There's a law called 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality Rights' that forbids me."  
  
"Well, I'm one of Faith's best friends. If we can find her, I want to know what's wrong so that I'm not always imagining the worst. And I promise I won't tell anyone else. Not even my mom."  
  
Halden sighed. He hated this type of decision. But maybe it would benefit Faith if her best friend knew. He paused, trying to figure out how to explain it. "My guess is, no matter how much you deny it, Faith did, in fact, tell you about Wonderland in her stories."  
  
Reluctantly, Jean nodded.  
  
"That had something to do with it. She was set to be released at one point, when she started talking to the Cheshire Cat, I'm assuming. That made them put her back inside the mental ward, although Doctor Levan didn't think that it had anything to do with her sanity-just an overactive imagination, maybe."  
  
"How d'you know about the Cheshire Cat?"  
  
"Partially because Faith told me about him, and partially because he used to come and torment me."  
  
"Torment you?" Jean was incredulous. "How?"  
  
"Mocking me. Telling me that I wasn't good enough for what was to come."  
  
"What??"  
  
"I went through something of a down phase at two points in my life. The first was when my brother committed suicide when I was fourteen. The other was when a very good friend died."  
  
"And he was mocking you then?"  
  
"No... in a crazy way, I think he knew and was trying to prepare me for the inevitability. But as for why it was him- something that was more Alice's creation - I have no idea. Anyway, Faith was put back in the mental ward. Then Doctor Levan died and Reynald took over, turning Rutledge's into the hell-hole it is now."  
  
"So... that's when what happened?"  
  
"That's when Faith became, essentially, impossible. There were many, many doctors and none of them succeeded in treating her, much less getting through to her."  
  
Jean was beginning to doubt. "Why did she get impossible?"  
  
"The doctors only said that they seemed to be making good progress when she would start talking to air and then become totally uncooperative. She would essentially tell them that they were through and then she just wouldn't talk."  
  
"Okay. So that's her medical situation. How did they treat her there?"  
  
"Under Doctor Levan, she was fine. But then when Reynald came, bringing Emelia with him, it changed. Reynald is really the worst thing that can happen to a patient, and Emelia is a bitch if you put it mildly. And I don't use that word lightly."  
  
"Whoa. I think I've heard of Emelia."  
  
"She was almost an heiress, but then I got in the way."  
  
Jessica then came in, bearing drinks. "Sorry for interrupting," she said, smiling. He knew that she wasn't sorry at all.  
  
"Liar," he teased. She shrugged and laughed.  
  
"Should I go, or may I stay?"  
  
Halden gestured towards Jean. "It's probably best that you make that decision," he said. She nodded.  
  
"I don't really care. Just so long as I get answers."  
  
"Okay. Jess, do you remember Emelia Levan?"  
  
Jessica shuddered. Apparently she did, and the memory was not pleasant. "Unfortunately," she said. "That woman is probably the worst insult to womankind everywhere."  
  
"So you can imagine how she treated Faith," Halden said, turning back to Jean.  
  
"Lower than the amoebas that make up dirt, I'd imagine."  
  
"Pretty close to, although there was a certain degree of respect there." He shrugged. Jean and Jessica stared at him.  
  
"Faith took a lot from her, but when she retaliated, Emelia wouldn't go near her cell for weeks. The first time, if I remember correctly, Faith gave her a black eye and a split lip, and in a somewhat more recent occurrence, stole her shoes and smacked her when she tried to get them back."  
  
Jessica and Jean both cheered. Halden shook his head and laughed. "You two are horrible."  
  
"Well, it's what she deserves, trying to pick on someone like Faith," Jean said proudly. Halden cocked his head questioningly. "When we were little, before the fire, the three of us would usually spend time on the grounds or something. Faith was the most patient of all of us, amazingly enough. But anyway, it would take over a month of teasing and heckling from Jeremy and me before she'd snap, but when she did, wow. It was fun to watch, when you weren't on the receiving end of it."  
  
"She'd beat people up?" Jessica asked incredulously.  
  
"Nah, but she sure knew the right ways to make us cry. I mean, we were eight. Being called a bleeding bugger was enough to make me cry back then."  
  
"What about Jeremy?" Halden asked.  
  
"It took a bit of effort, but once he called her something that she hated, and she turned around and smacked him in the shoulder. It didn't bruise cause she wasn't very strong, but it turned bright red and he got all watery eyed. He wasn't a wimp, don't get me wrong. But when your twin sister, who's about six inches shorter than you hits you that hard, you're shocked."  
  
Jessica laughed. "So it was more the self pity thing?"  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
Halden leaned back, prepared for several minutes of conversation, but Jean surprised him by turning straight to him. "Did she ever tell anyone else about Wonderland?" she asked. Her voice was a little suspicious.  
  
"Not to the best of my knowledge," Halden said. "They wouldn't have believed her if she did, anyway."  
  
"D'you think she's crazy?" Jean asked.  
  
"No."  
  
Later on, he was reading (and taking a break from the damned puzzle) when somebody knocked on the door. Jessica started to get up, but he beat her to it, and she settled back down. He opened the door, and was more than a little annoyed at seeing Cheshire there again.  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
"It depends," he answered coolly. "Do you have anything worth saying, or are you only here to annoy us again?"  
  
"I annoy you? Dear me, how dreadful." Halden rolled his eyes, and as he did, an extraordinarily strange thought crossed his head. He shook his head to get it out, though. It was ludicrous. "Headache already?"  
  
"No. Just a rather strange thought."  
  
"Ah. And what might it have been? Strange thoughts seem to be prevalent when I'm around."  
  
"I am very unsurprised," Halden replied tartly. "Come in."  
  
He stepped aside, and Cheshire entered, casting a just barely neutral glance at Jessica. She stared coldly back. Apparently she hadn't quite forgot that little incident of his last visit.  
  
"Anyway, I come to bring you news of Faith."  
  
"Well how do you know?" Jessica burst out. Cheshire stared coldly at her.  
  
"Your husband has guessed the answer. And it is with he that I intend to speak, not you."  
  
Jessica glared at him furiously and stormed out. Halden turned to him, eyes icy. "If you ever speak like that to my wife again, then I will personally see you out."  
  
Cheshire sighed and nodded.  
  
"What do you mean that I've guessed?"  
  
"That strange thought? It was written all over your face, James. Cheshire Kitt Mara Danlor-wend the eighth. Cheshire, my usual title. Kitt, short for Kitty, a synonym for Cat, which you no doubt knew already."  
  
"And Danlor-Wend is an anagram for Wonderland, I know."  
  
"And eight squared is the number of squares on a chessboard. Yes, you're very smart," he said dismissively. "Unfortunately my natural form seemed to scare your wife, so I probably shouldn't change back at the moment."  
  
Halden wanted proof, though. "If you are who you say you are, I'm not believing a word you say until you show me."  
  
Cheshire rolled his eyes and vanished. Then he reappeared a moment later as a rather gruesome, grinning cat. Halden winced somewhat. "Yes, charming, aren't I?"  
  
"Yeah. Right."  
  
"You're a harsh critic," he sighed, a great big fake one. "In any case, do you believe me now?"  
  
Halden nodded.  
  
"Good. Then, what I wanted to tell you, is that Faith is in danger, somewhat."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Cheshire lowered his voice. "Forces are working against her both from outside and inside Wonderland. Reynald is beginning to experiment on his patients with various and sundry hypnotics. The Red Queen may have figured out that we also took Faith's body into Wonderland. If she dies there, her body will re-materialise back here, and will permanently remain a vegetable."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that Faith will have no mind left. I haven't told her, nor do I intend to."  
  
"But doesn't she need to know the stakes?"  
  
Cheshire sighed. "If only it were that simple. She's getting stronger now. But there is still enormous pressure on her as it is. If she knew exactly how much it may overwhelm her. If she knew EVERYTHING, I think that alone would be enough to render her useless from worry."  
  
"I think that you're underestimating her."  
  
"My first view of her in Wonderland was not a positive one. I don't want to take chances."  
  
"But that was a long time ago."  
  
"Yes, and she has come quite far."  
  
"You never told me what Mara was for."  
  
"It's a name she assumed to hide her identity for a while, but later discarded."  
  
Damn. Cheshire really didn't miss a trick. "All right, so she started out rather badly."  
  
"She sucked."  
  
Halden sighed. "You really have no clue about when tact is involved, do you?"  
  
"Oh, I do. But there's a difference between tact and lying and you definitely did the latter."  
  
"That's just plain cruel."  
  
"Did I not say that she's improved?"  
  
Halden sighed. "All right, I give up."  
  
"Very good. Faith has improved, I'll warrant that. But she has several very dangerous enemies. And the Queen is working on some type of spell or potion or... something that will put Faith's body back here on earth. And if that happens, there is an amazingly good chance that Reynald will try something."  
  
"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"  
  
Cheshire sighed. "I had hoped that, as a native to this world, knowing full well how its laws and customs work, you could tell me."  
  
"It's true that Faith was my patient for a little while. But we are still subject to Reynald, because he operates the asylum in which she stays. And believe me, it is not easy at all to move a patient out of a certain facility, no matter how high your influence."  
  
"And in Britain, you're still fairly bottom of the barrel?" Cheshire said smugly.  
  
"Cheshire!" The smirk on Cheshire's face did little to assuage Halden's utter disgust. "Now, why did you appear to me when I was younger?"  
  
"We all knew that there was something rather special about you. They elected me to watch you, but just watching wasn't very fun." Halden's fists clenched.  
  
"So it was all some sick prank!" he ground out.  
  
"Quite the contrary. In fact, it's better that you saw me. You could relate to Faith more, therefore making her a little more open, and therefore again more willing to face her inner self."  
  
"And here she was, telling me that you're full of riddles," Halden scoffed. Cheshire glared at him.  
  
"Judging by all of our other conversations, I had wondered if you were clever enough for them." Halden glared back. Even a casual observer could have seen the veritable electricity emanating from the two. "Unfortunately, I have a rather special friend that I must check on now."  
  
"Why don't you leave her alone?"  
  
Cheshire barely glanced back. "Who says that it's Faith?"  
  
He turned and started walking towards the door. As he did, he started to disappear from the feet up. Jessica came in just as his left thigh vanished, followed quickly by his right. He raised a mocking eyebrow at her shock and vanished completely, leaving a wide grin for a few seconds, before that vanished too. Jessica appeared to be ready to either faint or scream-Halden wasn't sure which. He darted over. "It's okay," he said quietly. She stared at him like he was crazy.  
  
"OKAY?!" she asked, her voice getting higher in pitch than she cared to believe. "That man just vanished in front of me!"  
  
"It's all right," he said again. "I'm not sure if I should tell you what it is exactly until you've calmed down a bit."  
  
"Calm? I'm PERFECTLY CALM!" she said tightly, her voice rising again. Halden winced.  
  
"Let's wait a few minutes, Jess. I'm going to go get you some water. Sit down."  
  
"I am NOT one of your patients," she said firmly. "I'm your wife."  
  
"I realise that," he said quietly. He guided her to a comfortable chair and she promptly sat down. He walked to the kitchen to get her a glass of water, and mentally rehearsed what he would say. His hand trembled somewhat, and he wasn't sure if he believed it entirely himself.  
  
He forced himself to be calm and came back. Jessica was sitting where he had left her, fidgeting very impatiently. She almost snatched the water from his hands and took a long drink. As she calmed, he started telling her about Faith and Wonderland, and eventually the Cheshire Cat. When he was done, she stared at him, long and hard.  
  
"James... It sounds like you're going crazy." 


	34. Chapter 34

Faith wandered the halls, looking for the way out. She had been led through so many twists and turns... now it seemed as though she had been up and down every hallway and corridor in the Red Realm that she was thoroughly backwards. "Cat!" she called. There was no answer this time, and she turned all the way round, confused. Where was he? Was he hurt? Then the words of the Red King popped into her head. "He is one of the rebels' most shady members." She shuddered. No. Cat had to be a friend.  
  
She was in an entirely new corridor now, she knew. Perhaps this was the way out. It was dark, and she crept in, realising that it couldn't possibly be right. What was that? Something moved, hadn't it? Over to her left, and she turned to try to see what it was. The moment she turned though, something clubbed her from behind, and she fell unconscious.  
  
Maggot stood over her, walking stick in hand, and smiled at his handiwork. Hatter had rather begged to see his old friend again, and maybe even introduce her to some of his experiments. Maybe even let her become one. That would be quite exciting.  
  
He picked her up and staggered a little. What in hell was weighing her down? After a moment he shrugged, and summoned up a portal, and with a dramatic flare with his cape, walked through.  
  
A rebel spy looked on, perched on a doorframe. His eyes narrowed when he saw the unknown man turn away, Faith swinging limply at his back.  
  
It seemed to Faith that the world was spinning all around her. Where was she? What was going on? A dream within a dream, she thought, and laughed. She heard the sound, but it was strange. She heard the noise, but didn't feel the movement.  
  
She stopped spinning, and found herself in a large room, in what had to be the Queen's palace. The ceiling was divided into quarters, in the colours black and red. The walls were the same two colours alternating. The floor was red and black tile. She was in the middle of the room, and was totally alone. There were bookcases to her left, and she read a few titles idly. None of them seemed to be pleasant. The Wheel, the Iron Maiden, and the Impaling Stick: A Soldier's Guide to Torture. That one made her shudder a bit.  
  
The opposing wall was lined with mirrors, and had a tailor's stool. Faith stared. Was she in the Queen's room? Perhaps... she shuddered. If the Queen came in at that moment and found her... she knew for a fact that if the Queen did indeed find her then, she would be a bit more than toast. Deeply toasted.  
  
Then she heard voices from outside. "No, I don't think she is... But I'll check again, just in case."  
  
Faith darted behind the bookcase, but the footsteps passed the room by, and she slunk out in relief. She looked down, drawing a breath when she realised that she seemed to have changed clothes again. Her dress was red, and reached down to her ankles. It had an Asian-style collar, and it connected to a sheer type of fabric that went down a few inches past her shoulders. Solid red formed the lining of the sleeves and the rest of her dress. Two side vents that reached up to her knees completed it.  
  
She groaned and leaned against a pillar, suddenly feeling very sick. This was a dream. It had to be a dream, and nothing but a dream. She scowled up at the ceiling and shook her fist. "I hope that you're pleased with yourself," she hissed at her self. It felt very strange, but she had been mad at herself before, so it also felt very normal.  
  
Escape seemed to be necessary. She slipped through the door and found herself in a long hallway. One half was a row of doors; the other was a railing that allowed her to see all that was going on in the ballroom. Or at least, as people in there were dancing, that's what she thought it was. Where were the stairs? She picked a direction and started hurrying, trusting that her luck would hold for long enough to get her out of there. What she did once she was out, in a fancy dress and unarmed, would have to wait until she actually got out. She heard gruff voices, and the word "Faiff," and ducked into the nearest unlocked room.  
  
Once in there, she listened through the door until the footsteps were gone, and sighed in relief. She reached towards the door's handle, but someone grabbed her arm before she reached it.  
  
"Faith?" the voice was thoroughly confused.  
  
She turned, and saw General Samien, and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh, shite..."  
  
"What in hell are you doing here? You aren't supposed to have arrived in Wonderland yet."  
  
"What? I was in the King's throne room when you and Maggot were there, arguing about me. Then you left!"  
  
"Maggot?" He was more confused than ever.  
  
"Yeah. Kind've a high, whiny voice, light blue eyes, shorter than you?" Recognition dawned in his face.  
  
"Oh! Him. But, what gave you the idea that his name was Maggot?"  
  
"Well, that's what you always call him." Now it was Faith's turn to be confused.  
  
"No, I've never called him that. Good idea, though," he said reflectively. "And what do you mean that the last place you saw us was the King's Keep? And how do you know about... Maggot, as you call him?"  
  
"I killed the King, and I heard you two arguing. Then you said that you had reporting to do and he agreed and then you two vanished!"  
  
"You didn't kill the King, Faith. You haven't been to the Pale Realm yet."  
  
"Wha..?"  
  
"Faith, you're still supposed to be in the asylum. The rebels don't even know about Maggot yet."  
  
"Then what in bloody hell am I doing here?"  
  
"How should I know?" He sat down, resting his forehead on a hand. "What exactly is going on? What happened before you killed the King?"  
  
"Well, if it doesn't seem to have happened yet, why would I be so stupid as to tell you?" He shrugged. "How do you know that I'm not supposed to be here yet?"  
  
"If you were here, we would know you by whatever alias you go by." He stopped and stared at her, taking in her uneven hair, her exaggerated paleness, and the almost military set of her feet: ready to fight at less than a moment's notice, despite the tiny problem of her lack of weaponry. "You don't look fresh into Wonderland, that's certain, so it seems that you have been here awhile." She thought for a moment. There had been one sunset and sunrise that she had definitely seen, but she knew that there had to be more.  
  
"I don't know how long I've been here. Maybe a little under a week."  
  
"A week," he muttered. "No, that's impossible."  
  
"What d'you mean?"  
  
"Because, a source just returned from the asylum and said that you were still there."  
  
"What? When?"  
  
"Just ten minutes ago. It said that you still wouldn't come."  
  
Faith paused, wondering. "I never got that many visitors from Wonderland... I don't remember who came what was apparently a week before I got here."  
  
"You cannot leave yet," he said sharply. She had started heading towards the door, with that very intent in mind. She turned back to him, angry. He put a placating hand on her shoulder. "If you left now, you would be caught within ten minutes. I am not the only one who knows what you look like."  
  
His hand still rested on her shoulder, and she gingerly plucked it off. He let it drop to his side. "Why am I trusting you?"  
  
He raised a quick eyebrow at her, and turned back to the table that he had been sitting at. There was a bowl of fruit on it, along with a formal uniform jacket and belt. He began putting these on, thinking. "Probably because I seem to be the only one of your foes that hasn't actually directly tried to kill you."  
  
"Well, beyond that. You haven't totally abused my psyche, either."  
  
"Shall I start?" he asked dryly. She shook her head.  
  
"Anyway. Where is Maggot? I'm going to want to avoid that area."  
  
He turned to face her. "Yes, you are. Unfortunately, you picked rather awful timing to create a paradox."  
  
"What do you mean?" She frowned at him.  
  
"I mean that we are in the middle of a ball. There will be soldiers everywhere, and Maggot will be mingling freely."  
  
"As will you," she pointed out.  
  
"Yes. And the Queen. You must stay here."  
  
"I will NOT!" she snapped. Her better judgement told her that it definitely was the safer thing to do, but she also did not want to be trapped in here like a sitting duck. "Besides, you're probably going to send fifty guards here to arrest and kill me!"  
  
He turned sharply. "I would not, Faith. You're unarmed, and however much you hate to admit it, you're defenceless as well."  
  
She glared at him from underneath her eyebrows. "So it's merely honour that's saving my neck right now, isn't it?"  
  
Samien leaned against the door in exasperation. "You are the most frustrating, stubborn... arrogant female that I have ever talked to!"  
  
"What, because I'm not acting like a doormat?"  
  
"No, because you're ignoring your own safety, and you aren't even trying to prove anything by it! You're acting stupid!"  
  
"No, I just don't wish to be cooped up in a pen like a-"  
  
"Shh," he whispered suddenly. She shut up, as there seemed to be a quiet urgency. Then she heard voiced. One was a man's... Maggot's, definitely. The second was a female... low, raspy and inherently evil. Her blood ran cold at the sound of it. Samien grabbed her suddenly, around the waist, cupping a hand over her mouth. "Come with me," he whispered.  
  
He led her into his room. His bulk covered most of the view, but she did catch the edge of a rather hideous bed, and raised an eyebrow. Samien pretended not to notice, and sat her in a chair. "How will this help?" she started to whisper, but he bent down and hit a lever under the chair. The wall and the desk revolved, and Faith found herself in a small chamber- a secret one, judging by the entrance.  
  
Then the voices came inside. Faith froze and held her breath when she heard Maggot thumping the wall, almost carelessly. The thumping was coming closer, and she shrank back.  
  
"Cut that out!" Samien snapped. "You're destroying my wall!"  
  
"So sorry, General," she heard Maggot's voice, snide as ever, though with a slight note of superiority that she didn't hear when they were alone.  
  
The Queen spoke. Faith couldn't hear what she said, but Samien replied smoothly. "Yes, just go on without me. I'm afraid that I haven't quite finished getting ready."  
  
"A little problem?" Maggot asked, pseudo-innocently.  
  
"No, not a problem. I just underestimated the time I'd need to get ready."  
  
The Queen's voice sounded again, and she heard the fading sound of footsteps, and sank to the floor in relief. The panel swung around again, with Samien standing just in front of the desk. He stood there, watching her for a moment.  
  
"Why in hell did you join her?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. He turned away.  
  
"Who wants to be on the losing side? I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain by joining her army."  
  
"If you led the rebels, though, they may not be on the losing side!" she said numbly.  
  
He turned to face her. "They have two fairly competent leaders and a wise advisor," he said tersely. "We have-"  
  
"Brute force and love of carnage," she shot back.  
  
He thought for a moment. "Not my choice of words, but true enough, in most cases. I have no great love of carnage, but brute force... I do have an army."  
  
"None too intelligent one," she muttered.  
  
"They know friend from foe, and that is enough," he said shortly. But she caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Not many people have this much spunk after an encounter with the Queen."  
  
"I am easily frightened, but I don't stay that way for long," she shrugged.  
  
"Then what does frighten you?"  
  
"I... I don't know," she said quietly. She was afraid that if she spoke louder, her voice would tremble. Truth was, she was scared at that very moment as her situation fully dawned on her. Then he pounced at her, and she dived, clamping her hand down over her mouth to cover a shriek. He turned to her, grinning smugly.  
  
"Were you frightened?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
She didn't know how to respond. Now, she was terrified. She didn't know at that moment... how could she know if she was afraid? But for sake of her pride, she shook her head. He smiled.  
  
"That is impressive," he said. "Now, I must go. Please, for your sake and for mine, stay here."  
  
"What if you come back and I'm gone?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted. "But be assured that I will not be quite so hospitable at our next meeting." He started to turn, and stopped. "One piece of advice, for when you actually are supposed to be here," he said, with a quick quirk of the lips. "The way to tell friend from foe: many friends will ask you favours with the intention of furthering you in Wonderland. The best thing that they'll ask of you is the saving of this place. Foes will ask you for meaningless favours; favours that will only weaken you or impede your progress."  
  
She nodded. He fastened the last decoration onto his jacket, and stepped on a tiny section of the baseboard. The platform rotated once again, with him on it.  
  
Faith hugged herself, nervous and uncertain. What would she do, now that he was gone and she was stuck there for any amount of time?  
  
Then she heard footsteps- and they weren't Samien's. They sounded more like ...Maggot's. He started tapping the wall again, listening for a hollow spot. Faith froze. If she was discovered... "Faith, wake up," she whispered. "Wake up... wake up!"  
  
Maggot knocked on the wall, only this time... victory. It was hollow. Now, how to activate it... he was convinced that Samien was hiding rebels in some secret panel, and all he needed to eliminate his rival was proof. He searched around, and he found a small lever on the bottom of the chair. He smiled, satisfied, and pressed it.  
  
The wall twirled, and there was nothing to greet his eyes but an exact replica of the desk. He kicked it in frustration, and stomped off to rejoin the party. 


	35. Chapter 35

"Hatter."  
  
"Ah, it's you," Hatter said, turning to face Maggot. "It is my dear friend Maggot." Maggot's eyes narrowed. Hatter shook his head, chuckling. "Your nickname has circulated far. General Samien is a rather influential person when it comes to titles and such."  
  
"Hatter! Call me by my proper name!"  
  
"Which is..?"  
  
He was hopping mad at that point. "You know VERY WELL what it is!!"  
  
"Very well, Renny."  
  
"Yes. Renny. Do you even know what it means?! It means MIGHTY!"  
  
Hatter thought for a moment, delving into the chambers of his mind, and thoughtfully looked down at him. "I have remembered it as meaning 'SMALL but mighty.'"  
  
"Small matter," he snapped. "I've brought you something."  
  
Hatter was immediately interested. "Oh really?" he asked, leaning in. Only now did he notice the sack that ...Maggot had dragged in. He peered in closer and poked it, startled when it batted his finger away. "It's alive?"  
  
"Yes," Maggot said suavely. "I thought a little rat for your maze of mirrors would be lovely."  
  
Hatter drew open the sack somewhat. Faith was in there, groggy and rather bruised. She looked at Renny impassively. "Ah. Maggot." Then she turned to Hatter, not really caring about Maggot's steadily pinkening face. "Hatter... what happened to you? You look awful."  
  
Hatter blinked a few times. "Awful, my dear?" She nodded slowly, her eyelids drooping. "Poor thing," Hatter said cajolingly, bending over behind her. "So tired. So... injured." Slowly he brought a syringe down to her arm. He tapped the plunger twice to get rid of air bubbles, and slowly slid it into her arm until he hit a blood vessel. Then he pushed down, allowing his chemicals to enter her bloodstream.  
  
"What is that?" Maggot asked, coming up and watching, with great interest.  
  
"This will make her vulnerable beyond belief. You may not comprehend just yet, but you will."  
  
"How so?" Maggot looked interested, but then he turned, listening to some unheard call. "I must go," he said disgustedly. "Duty calls."  
  
Hatter nodded, and looked down at Faith. "What of her?"  
  
"Just let her explore the maze. If this wonder serum does all that you promise, she will be no match for your automatons."  
  
Hatter grinned. "And what makes you think she would be in the first place? ...Oh. And no hard feelings?"  
  
Maggot grinned and vanished.  
  
Rabbit bounded up to Cat. "She has been taken captive!"  
  
Cat whirled around. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I saw her... she was knocked out, and then that damnable man took her to Hatter!" Rabbit hopped frantically around, waiting for Cat's reply.  
  
It was slow in coming. "But why to Hatter? Why not straight to the Queen?" he asked. "Many things here demand answers."  
  
Rabbit nodded. "What are we to do?"  
  
Cat paused, thinking. "Are you going to guide her?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Rabbit was immediately wary. "I'm not going near Hatter for anything. You know what happened last time." Cat nodded. "What will we do, then?" Rabbit asked.  
  
"I will guide her." Rabbit stared at him.  
  
"What do you mean, you will guide her?" He got up, right into Cat's face.  
  
"There is no way that she will complete that maze all on her own," Cat said quietly. "She must have a guide. I, myself, would much rather prefer staying as far away from Hatter's domain as possible. But it seems I have no choice."  
  
"But why you?" Rabbit asked.  
  
"I know that maze. I've seen it many times, from when it was not so evil to the beginnings of Hatter's menace to the bitter result."  
  
"And the madness it brings on?" Rabbit asked. Cat nodded. "And the possibility that Faith will die in there, under your care? Are you prepared to take that risk?"  
  
"You took it many times yourself. Do you know where they took her, exactly?"  
  
Rabbit nodded. "And, if Hatter is not there, I will take you, my friend."  
  
Faith looked up, dizzy. She'd seen the syringe coming to her arm, Maggot's leer, and Hatter's serious concentration... but looking back, was it serious, or the look of one with an evil purpose? And that dream... what the hell was that? Why had she been dressed up for a ball that she didn't even attend? And... she shuddered, remembering what had happened. She'd nearly given herself away when he'd pounced at her like that - she'd nearly shrieked, and if she had... If it was like he said, he knew her by sight but had never met her. He must be trying to make her afraid of their next... or would that mean it was their first? meeting. He was just trying to scare her, drain her will to fight him. And the ball... perhaps it just meant that she had really bad timing when it came to dreaming.  
  
Time. If she dared dream, Wonderland's time was altered. She dreamt of things that couldn't... SHOULDN'T happen. She created paradoxes. Samien wasn't a friend... he just posed as a sort-of friend to keep her from attacking him. Now she knew why Cat and Rabbit had kept her awake in the woods - who knew what would happen if she had taken a nice, long, undisturbed nap then??  
  
She stood and stretched, but soon became conscious that she was not the only one in the room that was moving. There was something in the dark, with a single light - too far away to see clearly.  
  
"Hello?" she called, sitting up. She was on a small bed - rather like a gurney. The straps, used by Reynald to hold her down sometimes, hung loosely at the sides. "Who's there?"  
  
The figure stood, and Faith strained her eyes to see. It was tall, and bent, and slowly it approached. "Faith."  
  
She was confused. "No, F-Faith is me."  
  
"That is true. And yet, a delicious little lie, is it not?"  
  
"Don't start on the lying bit," she warned. "I've been over it with the King several times already."  
  
"Yes, and then you gave him a little shove, and he went to join the others you've killed." She nodded, fairly satisfied. The figure laughed, and came into the light. "Friend and foe alike, and it's amazing that you've still got time to talk after all of this," Hatter said, chuckling. Faith stared.  
  
"You look dreadful," she said, by way of greeting.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, but the winner of Wonderland's beauty pageant, you are not, either." Faith cracked a smile, uncertain as to whether he was friend or foe, serious or joking. Her arm hurt.  
  
"What did you do to my arm?"  
  
"Just a little serum that I've been dying to try out. It doesn't affect you at all while in Wonderland."  
  
Faith shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Ah, nothing, dear. Nothing. Just the ramblings of an old friend. But so prompt! Three o' clock, on the dot! If you finish a little chore within the next three hours, you are welcome to join me for tea."  
  
"What little chore?" she asked.  
  
Hatter gestured around with his cane, almost losing his balance. She hurried forwards and steadied him. "Thank you, dear. This little maze I've concocted. It's positively dying for exploration."  
  
"What sort of maze?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"I concocted it during better days," he sighed wistfully. "Now, I rarely ever am able to use it. My funhouse is not terribly fun anymore, with no one using it."  
  
Hadn't there been some piece of advice regarding this sort of thing? Yes... she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hatter. Maybe in better times, I would have been happy to. But now, I can't. I have too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in."  
  
Hatter glared at her and backed away. "Too late, Faith. We are already in the middle. You still must find your way out, only this time, the reward won't be half as sweet as tea."  
  
He reached up and pulled a lever, and the floor dropped out from underneath him, closing immediately after his hat had passed through. The lever was too high for her to reach... on her own. She took out the mallet, and looked down. None of her weapons had been taken - that was surprising.  
  
Using the head of the mallet, she managed to ease the lever up a bit, but no good; she needed more height. Thinking, she took out the jackbomb and gingerly set it on the ground. It didn't open, and she stepped onto it. There! That was the height she needed, and she felt the lever sliding up further.  
  
Then a rocket came, blowing it up. She whirled around, to see a strange being made out of machinery. She stared at it for a moment. "Wha-??"  
  
Then it raised its arms, revealing nasty spinning blades on one end, and an assortment of hooks, knives and other sharp things on the other. "Oh my GOD!"  
  
She cringed, thinking of the damage those things could cause. She picked up the jackbomb and threw it in the thing's path. It almost immediately exploded, but hardly deterred the machine's progress. She backed up, and knocked an electrified croquet ball at it. It didn't seem to like that, as its gears shorted out, and it halted, only a few feet away from her. She dashed under its chainsaw arm and quickly backed away.  
  
Then it powered up again, and turned around. It sped towards her, and she dodged out of the way, pulling out the ice wand as she went. Then a rocket exploded at her feet, throwing her forcefully back. She landed hard on her rear with a rather loud THUD, and sat where she was, recovering her breath. Even as she did, it closed in on her. Frantically she looked around for the ice wand, finally spotting it across the hall. She dived for it, and the machine fired another missile at her. Fumbling around, she switched the wand's function and made a protective wall of ice in front of her. The missile crashed against it harmlessly.  
  
She leaned around her shelter and fired at it. First its wheel gears froze, followed quickly by the joints in its arms. Then the neck gears froze, and it stood completely still. Faith let the ice work its magic for a moment, and then threw the knife at it, shattering both it and the ice.  
  
"Faith!"  
  
She whirled around at the familiar voice. "S... Cheshire!"  
  
Cat nodded, and beckoned. "Come with me, quickly!" She nodded and dashed up, putting various weapons away as she ran. "Isn't that rather dangerous, running with knives, and putting them away as you go?" he asked.  
  
"Still have time for sarcasm?" she asked simply.  
  
"Yes, and apparently you do too. Let's move." He sped forwards, sometimes leading her himself, other times allowing just his shadow or smile to guide her. Through many twists and turns they ran, until they reached a long hallway.  
  
"Hatter said that he would destroy this hall, as soon as he and the royals were done using it. That time doesn't seem to have come yet. Hope that our luck holds."  
  
Faith barely had time to glance at the long hall, carpeted and mirrored, until Cat had led her to a door. "Go in," he commanded.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"There is much that you need to see, Faith. And there is almost no time for you to see and to understand everything." 


	36. Chapter 36

They entered the room. Inside, she saw many rows of beds - small, uncomfortable looking cots. But not nearly so uncomfortable as the occupants. Insane children were in there, hundreds, and sleeping. IVs in their arms led to a large vat in a corner. "Sleeping draft," Cat said, gesturing. "Hatter uses these children for his experiments. But come and follow me, there is more."  
  
He led her up the room, until they stood at two beds. Two creatures lay there- one alive, one dead and rotting. "Hatter won't take out his own trash," Cat mocked bitterly. "That corpse in front of you is that of the Dormouse. But the poor living thing beside you is the March Hare."  
  
She looked down at the two. "How did the Dormouse die?" she asked quietly, angry.  
  
"The two were kept alive, and simultaneously being killed, by two lines with two separate potions contained therein. The Dormouse's plug was pulled."  
  
"By who..?" she was horrified.  
  
"By your friend Hatter, traitor to the rebels and loyal Duke and servant to her Majesty the Queen of Hearts," Cat hissed.  
  
She shook her head. "No. Not Hatter." He nodded. "No!"  
  
"Faith. He killed the Dormouse. He has killed our forces. He creates the automatons, and has been made a Duke just recently. He has captured our leader."  
  
"Who is that?" she asked, still trying to fight the idea that Hatter was not her friend.  
  
"Gryphon. Hatter has him locked up somewhere. The trouble is, that room is only accessible at a certain time. Other times it just... disappears."  
  
"But... Hatter? He was my friend," she whispered.  
  
"He was friend to many; most of all to these two. Now look at them."  
  
Faith looked down at the corpse sadly. "Dormy..." she whispered, feeling the tears well up.  
  
"Don't pity him," Cat said quietly. "His suffering ended long ago. If you must pity someone, Faith, pity the ones that live in this hellhole, whether they are aware of it or not. Pity the Hare. He is awake, but has been dying inside for a very long time. And he feels everything."  
  
"What is there to feel?" she asked dazedly, looking at his prostrate form. Cat walked closer to her and looked into her face.  
  
"Fear, anger, confusion... hopelessness. He begs to die, Faith, but there is no one to relieve him from life. No one can hear his voice, but it is plain if you look into his eyes. Now, come with me."  
  
Faith turned, reluctant to leave. Quickly, she bent over the Hare. "There's still hope left," she whispered, and then quickly followed Cat.  
  
As she turned to go, however, her gaze flew about the room, until a flash of red caught her eye. There was writing on the wall; writing that looked like blood, but could not have been anything more than red paint. "You're next," it said.  
  
The next room had automatons by the hundreds, and a machine that made them. It also contained many mad children, lined up on a conveyor belt that led to the machine. A child went in, and a machine came out. Faith gasped.  
  
"The automatons are all asleep," Cat assured her. "But they are being packaged to be sent to the Red Queen."  
  
"How do you know all this?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I have seen it before, while spying on Hatter." He shrugged.  
  
"Can't we do something? Is there any way to destroy the machine?" Cat looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"And all these sleeping... automatons, as you call them."  
  
"Well, have you thought of a better name?" She shook her head, embarrassed.  
  
"I just call them 'things', actually. Anyway; can they be destroyed?" Cat nodded.  
  
Faith smiled. "How?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know? You're the brains behind this little venture." He hopped up onto the machine and started looking around. Faith looked as well, and found a plug with a few wires leading from it. She followed it, and was rewarded with the knowledge that it was the plug that led to the machine.  
  
"Cat... I think we've found something."  
  
"Oh?" he asked, jumping down. She held up the cord.  
  
"This."  
  
Cat looked interested. "And what do you intend to do with it?"  
  
"I'm going to cut it, of course."  
  
Cat looked annoyed. "That's all? He'll just be able to reattach it with a bit of twisting."  
  
"Not if it's too short," she said, and took out the knife. "Unplug it, if you can? I don't much care for electrocution."  
  
He nodded grumpily and padded over to the plug, and began struggling with it. Faith waited for him to finish, back to him, and wondered what was taking so long. She finally turned in impatience and saw that he'd got himself entangled in it, and was viciously biting and scratching at it to get it off. She would have laughed if he hadn't looked so ticked.  
  
"Shall I get it instead?" she asked, struggling to maintain her composure. She bent over him and started untangling the cord. "Keep still!" she scolded, after one too many scratches.  
  
"Yes, do get it instead... And please do think about who you're asking the next time you require something that involves opposable thumbs," he snapped, and the moment he was disentangled, leapt up to the machine to sulk, tail twitching impatiently. Faith, meanwhile, unplugged it, and pulled the wire taut. That way, she could understand why Hatter could always just reattach it- there was at least three feet of extra cord. She sliced it, and walked eight paces, and cut it again. "Now what?" Cat's voice sounded.  
  
Faith slid the wires out of the cord and wrapped them around a sleeping automaton's neck. "Now I destroy it with the rest of the automatons here," she said simply.  
  
"You're going to be exhausted if you use the ice wand on all of these," he warned. She sighed, thinking. "You're right. But what shall I do?"  
  
She walked over next to him and sat down. The very next moment, she was up with a yelp of pain. Cat's head snapped over, and he looked at her in curiosity and some alarm. She bent back, wincing, and felt the floor where her bum had been, and felt something very sharp. It was a jack; like the one in the game. She sat down again, and shot back up, and felt the floor again. Once more, she turned up with a jack - but this one was a bit far away for her to have sat on it.  
  
Realisation then dawned, and she reached upwards, and pulled the third from her rear. Cat winced, thinking about how close to those things his tail had been. Faith, meanwhile, had ideas. "I wonder what these things do?" she said presently.  
  
"Experiment... the jacks are quite useful. But don't ever play alone."  
  
She tossed them into the air, and they began bouncing around the room, wreaking havoc wherever they went. Bang! One pummelled an automaton's chest. Crack! Another crashed into a glass dial. Faith watched them zoom around with relief, and took cover with Cat behind the machine. "I suppose we just let them do their work," she whispered.  
  
He nodded, impressed. "I hope they're worth the price of a sore arse?"  
  
She scowled briefly, but nodded. "Certainly."  
  
It was somewhat later in the evening when Hatter decided to check on his automatons' progress. His cameras had shorted out sometime in the early afternoon... sometime after Faith had begun the maze. He imagined a great battle fought between the woefully outmatched Faith and his automatons. He imagined coming to the room to see bits and pieces of little Faith strewn out among the room, and his automatons standing dutifully by. There would be maybe a missing piece or two on a few of them; he was willing to make that exception. But they were invincible, and she was definitely not.  
  
He reached the workroom, beaming as he opened the door. That smile immediately melted away when he saw the destruction. Little bits of his automatons lay carelessly about the room - not one of them stood. His cane dropped out of his hand, clattering onto the floor. Over fifty of his creations had been in that room. Now there were hundreds of thousands of pieces. He felt the rage boiling up inside of him, close to the breaking point... that came when he saw his machine. It too, was battered, though maybe still workable. He staggered closer, and tried to plug it in. Just that little reassurance, that lingering prayer that Faith was, in fact, as dumb as he'd thought she was...  
  
The cord was still there. Thank the Queen. He plugged it in, waiting expectantly for the hum, that lifegiver. None came. Panicking, he unplugged it and tried again. "No, no!" he yelled, and frantically jerked it up to check it. The cord was there, yes. But two tiny slits... the wires!! He threw it down and fell, not having his cane to support him. Still, he crawled over to it, black rage consuming him. "The bitch, that nasty little girl!" he hissed. "She'll regret this... she'll regret crossing me LIKE THIS! AAAARRRGGHH!!"  
  
He gripped the handle of his cane, until his green knuckles shone white. It slipped on a coil, and he fell to the ground again. He threw himself up, feeling the maddening strength ripping through him. Faith was going to die.  
  
Meanwhile, the object of his loathing dashed through the maze, with Rabbit (reluctantly) guiding her. He seemed to know where he was going, and besides, Cat was there as well, giving additional pointers. She slid down a flight of stairs, almost falling, catching, and dashing once again. "Why are we-" pant, pant, "going so fast?"  
  
"Hatter is mad," Cat said in a fairly singsong voice.  
  
"I know that," she protested.  
  
"No," Rabbit said, glancing briefly behind him. "Hatter is not mad. He's livid."  
  
He turned a corner abruptly, and Faith nearly fell over herself in following. As such, her feet flew out from under her, and she landed on her side with a thump. Cat nudged her up, and the three were off again. There wasn't even time to think, as Rabbit was constantly turning in unexpected places.  
  
"Rabbit!" Cat called sharply. "We're going the wrong way!"  
  
"Are we?" Rabbit appeared a little dazed. "How so?"  
  
"We should have gone left about three turns ago. At this rate, we'll be at the Trap two turns from here."  
  
"But I had thought he moved it," Rabbit protested.  
  
"He did," Cat snapped. "Over here."  
  
"Oh. Perhaps you should lead for now, Cat. I'm getting rather confused here."  
  
The entire place shone with an evil red light. From windows up above, moonlight and starlight shone through faintly, and from the ceiling, yellow and green lights played across the mirrors and floor, giving everything a surreal, living... though almost dead appearance. The lights playing across the walls gave it the effect that the surfaces themselves were always changing; always moving. Faith just wanted to get out of there. Cat then took the lead, and soon they were off again.  
  
Hatter stormed to his secret workshop. Nobody knew about it - not the Queen, not Samien... not even Maggot knew about it. Here was where he kept his best work- his very best. He hurried down the spiral stairs, until he reached a great set of double doors. They were wood, though grimy, and had fungi growing on the sides and hinges. They were tall, and locked by a huge chain and padlock that hung from the long handles. Hatter took the key and unlocked the doors, throwing them open.  
  
Four automatons stood there- but they were not just the ordinary, boring types. In place of swinging and slicing arms, they had an almost Swiss army knife variation of weapons: chainsaws, an old-fashioned spiked mace and chain, heavy club and giant scissors. In addition to steam vents, they had a flamethrower implanted near their middle. And in place of grenades, they had homing rockets. He grinned maniacally.  
  
"I have an assignment for you all! I want you to hunt down Faith, and KILL her!"  
  
They filed out, each one raising a various weapon, their 'eyes' gleaming red. Hatter watched them go, laughing evilly to himself. 


	37. Chapter 37

"Cat!" Faith called. He stopped, and turned back. "It feels that we're going around in circles. And I need to rest for a moment."  
  
"In a moment," he replied tersely. "And we are not going in circles." He sprang ahead, leaving Faith and Rabbit no choice but to follow.  
  
"Cat's worried," Rabbit said, watching Cat bounding ahead of them.  
  
"How can you tell?" Faith was panting so much that she was nearly unintelligible.  
  
"He'd let you stop if he weren't," he said shortly, "and he's always looking around. Hatter's bound to be homicidal after what you did to his automatons."  
  
"So he doesn't want to stay in one place for long," she panted. Rabbit nodded and sprung ahead. Faith herself put on an extra burst of speed, not caring to be separated.  
  
But they had an advantage in having four legs, and she found the gap between them widening somewhat. She readied herself for another boost, but was interrupted by the arrival of an automaton from behind a mirror. She screamed and skidded to a stop. It immediately began attacking, and she barely dived out of the way of a volley of flames heading her way.  
  
Cat and Rabbit stopped and turned. Cat's ears flattened against his head, and Rabbit began shaking. Cat had seen plans for something of the sort... and he didn't fancy Faith's chances against it.  
  
At that moment, she was engaged in a very complicated dance of avoiding the weapons spewing from its arms. Just barely missed a mace and chain, dived down to avoid a pair of scissors... backed away from the swinging of a club, jumped over a chainsaw. All the while she was fumbling for something, anything that would help. It caught her in the stomach with the club at that moment, and she skidded twenty feet on the floor.  
  
It fired a rocket at her, and she only just got a wall of ice up in time. It exploded against it, shattering it, but the rocket itself was dead as well. Faith jumped up and staggered around a corner, clutching her stomach. She turned and fired the icy beam at it, covering the 'eyes' with a layer of frost, and started digging around for the jacks. "Oh, c'mon, where..?" she groaned. Her hand landed on the demon dice, and though it was weak, she knew that it could keep the thing occupied for a while. She rolled it out. The lightning-happy demon appeared, and started attacking the automaton.  
  
She heard the electrical shocks, and the grinding of machinery, and found the jacks. She turned, watching the fight. The demon was doing well, constantly shorting out whatever gear made the weapons work. But it soon tired, and she threw the jacks just as it retired to its dice. The jacks started zooming around, barraging the machine for a short amount of time, creating small holes and punctures in it, then returned to her hand. Faith grabbed the ice wand off the ground in front of her and fired, aiming for the holes and gears.  
  
The superautomaton found her, and she ducked under it, getting behind it and into the open again. It turned, and (although a little slower) started attacking her with the scissors. She ducked, and felt the back of her sweater come open. She turned, and in addition to a few patches of fabric, saw quite a bit of hair along with it. Her fists clenched, and she took out the mallet. It didn't matter how weak it was. She just wanted to hit something.  
  
She had the opportunity when it charged again. BAM! It bashed against the solid metal chest plate, making a deep dent. She hit it again, and this time, it created a hole. This gave her an idea. She grabbed one of the electrified croquet balls and shoved it in, ducking when the mace and chain headed her way. It stuck into itself instead, and she backed up, readying the ice wand.  
  
Fire rushed towards her, and she fired the ice wand at the flames. The ice melted rapidly, and some of the water got into the hole where the croquet ball sat.  
  
Faith heard the crackling, and saw the machine start to stiffen. Then it began malfunctioning, attacking everything it saw, including itself. The swinging club missed her narrowly, and pummelled one of the eyes. That had an even worse effect than the electricity and water combination, and it teetered wildly, overbalancing and falling, smashing the other eye. It collapsed, and after a few minutes of twitching and jerking, it lay still. Faith set the jackbomb on top of it, though. It exploded, taking the remnants of the machine with it, and she stumbled out to go meet Cat and Rabbit.  
  
They had taken refuge on top of one of the mirrors, and hopped down only when they saw her alive. "Faith!" Rabbit said hoarsely. Cat jumped down and put a paw on her, as though to check to see that she was real.  
  
"Thank Alice," he whispered, as though to himself. She tried to smile at him, wanting to say something reassuring. Wanting to touch him and assure him that she was real.  
  
"What in hell was that thing?" she asked instead. It seemed to be reassuring enough.  
  
"We're not... entirely sure, actually," Rabbit admitted.  
  
"Come, Faith. Now, more than ever, I am agreeing with Rabbit about matters of time."  
  
"Wait, Cat," she begged. "My stomach is killing me."  
  
He examined her closely, and nodded. "We'll rest a moment. But not here. Follow me." He trotted forwards, and turned left. Curiously she followed, as well as Rabbit. It was a long, narrow avenue, and Cat was studying a series of levers. "If pushed in the correct order, a 'safe room', so to speak, should drop down," he said contemplatively.  
  
"What's a safe room in this place?" she asked wryly.  
  
"I'm not entirely certain of that," he confessed. "I only remember something of the sort being there."  
  
"No," she said wearily, shaking her head. "I'm beat - and I don't really care to take the chance of another nasty surprise. Just here is fine."  
  
"We can't stay for long," Rabbit said anxiously. Cat nodded.  
  
"What's going to happen once we make it out of here?" she asked abruptly, sensing another lecture. Cat sat down, for once betraying his tiredness.  
  
"That's still in question," he said. "The making it out alive part, anyhow. That probably wasn't the only superautomaton Hatter cooked up."  
  
She winced. "Then I hope that I don't meet up with all of them."  
  
"But you must!" Rabbit burst out. "You're probably the only one in Wonderland that could beat them!"  
  
"Nonsense," Cat said sharply. "There are a few. The Queen, for one. Hatter could, though I'm sure that he'd do anything to avoid it. As for those on our side... Gryphon, I should think."  
  
Rabbit nodded reluctantly. "I must go," he said suddenly, pricking up an ear. "I hate leaving you in the middle of this hell, but Caterpillar calls."  
  
"Don't take too long," Cat warned.  
  
Rabbit bowed and dashed off.  
  
"That was abrupt," Faith observed. Then she became aware that Cat was staring at her. "What?"  
  
"There are those in the rebel forces that tell me that you and the General have... reached a peace of sorts. Then there are others that go so far as to say that you have betrayed us and established a romance."  
  
"Cat, you should know better than anyone that there is no peace, much less even a... a friendship between us." She shook her head quickly. "Nothing of the sort."  
  
Cat seemed doubtful. "Then what exactly is going on? You've had numerous chances to kill him, and he you."  
  
"I know - that's the weird part. It feels like, whenever he starts talking to me, that there's no point in fighting. He hasn't even tried."  
  
"But he tried to fight you on the bridge."  
  
"And he just stopped in the middle. Said that it wasn't his fight."  
  
Cat raised an eyebrow. "And there was nothing more than that?"  
  
She thought for a bit. "Unless you count two run-ins with Maggot, no."  
  
"Maggot?" Cat seemed interested all of a sudden.  
  
"The Queen's new favourite... person, if you care to call him that." She sighed and stood without waiting for his reply. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to hear it. "I think we should continue now." Cat cocked his head.  
  
"As you wish," and started trotting to the exit. Then Faith saw a reflection in a mirror just ahead of him; a reflection that constantly was changing from a leering Maggot to another superautomaton. Her mouth dropped open and she grabbed her knife and threw it hard, hoping against hope that the mirrors were just playing with her, just trying to confuse her...  
  
The mirror shattered, and Cat turned, startled. Then he froze. "Faith!" he snapped. "Behind!"  
  
She whirled around, and narrowly missed another giant pair of scissors. "CAT! Get out of here!" she yelled. He hesitated, not entirely willing to comply. Faith turned and started running, trying to find somewhere more open, where she hand an advantage. Cat darted alongside her, nudging her when he wanted her to turn.  
  
They ran, but it was almost pointless; it kept up with their every move. Finally she turned, and Cat screeched. She turned, and there was another one. She followed Cat's initial reaction, and dived out of the way as two rockets shot at her. They collided as they were attempting to turn, and she and Cat were thrown several lengths by the explosion.  
  
"Get out of here, Cat," she whispered urgently. "There's nothing you can do for me now. These aren't wasps that you can blind."  
  
He vanished, and she stood, reassured that he was safe. Meanwhile, the machines advanced on her, readying their weapons, and she pulled out the jacks and the dice. They came closer, and she threw each one. The jacks began pummelling one, and the demon rose from the dice. It saw the machine and gave Faith an exasperated pout, then began attacking once again; for all that it was worth. "I need to find out if there are any more," she muttered.  
  
The machines were entirely involved in fending off their attackers, and she chose that opportunity to steal away for a moment, until she found a good spot to fight them from, where she would be protected.  
  
A reflection soon appeared in the mirror behind her, and she threw her knife at it. The mirror shattered, and one of the machined advanced past her. She grabbed her ice wand and started firing, but it countered with its flamethrower, which seriously hampered the effect. There were little holes and dings all over it; it must have been the one the jacks had attacked. She let them go again, throwing them a little harder, and they rocketed at the machine. It tried avoiding them, but they held to their course, truer even than the rockets. The jacks flew at the eyes, depriving it of the automated control. It now started out in every direction, bumping into walls, until it found a straight course - straight at her. She dodged to the side, but it was programmed to follow movement, and that it did.  
  
Faith jumped in front of a mirror, and a rocket crashed into it behind her. She leapt out of the way, and jumped behind it. It turned, but she ran with it, always staying out of the way of its other eye. Then the other machine showed up, heading towards her rapidly.  
  
The other detected movement, however, and set to it, clubbing and stabbing and cutting, firing its rockets and letting loose clouds of flame and steam. The other, though progressively more and more battered, ignored it, heading towards its goal: Faith. Kill Faith.  
  
She fired the ice wand ahead of the treads that it had in place of feet, and it rolled onto it. Suddenly it was slipping and sliding, but she kept firing, until it was almost at her and she jumped out of the way and sat still, not wanting it to see her.  
  
It didn't. It was too engrossed in its companion, which was trying futilely to rise. Each time, it made a concerted effort to get up. Each time, another weapon was used against it. Faith chose that opportunity to slip away. 


	38. Chapter 38

Hatter checked his superautomatons' progress - and was thoroughly less than thrilled. Faith had already beaten one; the second was malfunctioning... and destroying the third! He ground his teeth and clenched the head of his cane until it snapped. He stared at it with disdain for a moment, and reached for a switch that would turn them off for the time being. The fourth was conveniently hidden, but he would take no chances of her beating it, too.  
  
"Seems you underestimated little Faith," Maggot said from behind. The smirk was all too evident in his voice. "I expected more from you than a room full of scrap metal and a few little machines that do nil."  
  
Hatter glared at him. "Speak one more word about my creations, and I swear that you will be the one I test the next batch on!"  
  
"What next batch?" Maggot was immediately interested. "Do tell me that you've actually concocted something better than these layabouts."  
  
"As a matter of fact, I have," Hatter said sniffily. "I haven't discovered their full capabilities, but I can assure you, they're quite deadly."  
  
"Then... why don't you test them on her? After all... you don't know what they're capable of."  
  
Hatter leaned forward, interested.  
  
"After all... you know them better than anyone, am I right? These deadly little toys of yours." Hatter nodded slowly. "And if you don't know just what they can do..." he let the sentence trail off. Hatter grinned.  
  
"True," he said thoughtfully. "Very true."  
  
"So let them loose. Let them do their worst," Maggot purred.  
  
"Ah. General. How good of you to come." Hatter appeared far from pleased, though. Maggot snorted in contempt.  
  
"I love having warm welcomes like this," Samien said dryly. "They make me feel so... fuzzy inside." There was silence.  
  
"What do you want?" Maggot finally snapped.  
  
"The Queen wants to know your progress with Faith, Hatter. But it doesn't seem to be going too well." He grinned, but there was no good feelings conveyed in it.  
  
"It's going along fine," Hatter snarled.  
  
"Tell that to all of your scrap metal," Samien retorted. "I'm sure that they would beg to differ, at least if they had brains."  
  
"They have brains," Hatter spat. "Perfect, computerized brains. Nothing is superior to them!"  
  
"Nothing but a malnourished shorty with some toys."  
  
Hatter's hand crashed down onto the table. "SAMIEN!! I DEMAND THAT YOU LEAVE THIS INSTANT!!"  
  
Samien laughed. "I would, but I have one thing I must say." He turned to Maggot. "You have quite a bit of explaining to do. In Dementia, a contingent of over 300 of my card guards was caught in a tunnel, and subsequently drowned in the acid water in the mines," he said grimly. "Dementia is your province, and the Queen is very angry that you left it unattended."  
  
Maggot had gone white, even whiter than his usual shade of pale; if that was possible. "HOW??"  
  
"Apparently, someone let her get away alive, with that information in her head. It was later sent to whatever rebels may be in Dementia, and they trapped the card guards. Then the dams broke and water poured into the only escape route. They ALL drowned." He gave a quick bow, and vanished through a quickly summoned portal.  
  
"I-HATE-him." Maggot was trembling in his rage.  
  
"As do I," Hatter said bitterly. Maggot looked up at this.  
  
"Then we can do away with him," he said, giving the equally furious Hatter a sly, sidelong glance. "We can figure out a how, and a when."  
  
"I would..." Hatter said, thinking. "But I hate Faith more - she's the one that gave him reason to ridicule my precious automatons in the first place. But after she is done away with... definitely."  
  
"Then we must be the ones to do away with her," Maggot said determinedly. "For if it is Samien, then we will certainly be executed, and if it is none of us-"  
  
"Then we still have a higher risk of retribution," Hatter finished. "I'm not stupid, you know." Maggot nodded.  
  
"In the meantime," he shuddered nervously, "I have some explanations to make."  
  
Rabbit grabbed Faith's sleeve. "I have searched all over this maze for you!" She jumped, startled, but glad for the renewed company. He hopped around until he finally turned to her. "Where's Cheshire?"  
  
She shrugged. "We were attacked," she explained. "I told him to get away." Rabbit nodded in understanding.  
  
"Another of those..?"  
  
"Two more," she said, scowling. "One of them short-circuited and began attacking the other. Then they just sort of... slumped."  
  
"Hatter must have shut off the power then," Rabbit said cheerfully. "That should mean that we're safe for the time being, at least from them."  
  
"How can you be cheerful here?" Faith asked, looking around. As the corridors became more twisted, more winding, the atmosphere became more and more close, more oppressive. "I don't think that I could smile now if I tried."  
  
"Don't try to show an emotion your heart is not feeling, Faith," he chastised gently. She smiled at that.  
  
Their cheerfulness was then broken by Cat's arrival and the news that came with it. "The power is back on," he said grimly. "The other two have been taken away, it seems... but there may be more, and not only them, besides."  
  
Faith shuddered. "I just want to get out of here," she groaned. "Are we nearly at the end?" Cat and Rabbit exchanged guilty glances with each other, then quickly turned away. "What?" she asked. An exchange had been there, she knew. It didn't bode well. "Cat, Rabbit, what?"  
  
"We don't know," Rabbit finally said. "Hatter never specified a definite end."  
  
"But doesn't he have a secret entrance somewhere?"  
  
"Hence the word 'secret'," Cat purred dryly. He walked around, examining everything. His brow furrowed with concern. "This part is unfamiliar to me," he confessed.  
  
"It's recent," Rabbit said. He hopped around. "Is there no end??"  
  
Cat looked up suddenly, ears erect and alert. "Whatever we do, we must do it now, and fast," he said. "I hear something."  
  
Rabbit apparently heard it too. He started shaking, and got very fidgety. "Agreed." He turned and picked a direction, and started running. "Follow me!" he called back.  
  
They had been going aimlessly for a while, when Cat called for Faith to rest. She agreed, and sat down against a mirror. He drew Rabbit aside. "What have you discovered from Caterpillar?"  
  
"I found what that serum did to Faith."  
  
"What did it do?" Cat was genuinely worried, and when that happened, he got very snappish.  
  
"Faith is now apparent to the Real World, although..."  
  
"In a coma?" Cat asked. Rabbit nodded, and looked suspiciously at Cat. Cat didn't return it. "Rabbit, I've been keeping something from you."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Cat hung his head slightly, but raised his eyes slightly to meet Rabbit's now down-turned ones. "To spare you some worry, at least. But that is not possible now. Reynald has been working with hypnotic drugs the last few weeks since she vanished." Rabbit's head shot up.  
  
"What exactly are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying that he's going to try and wake her up."  
  
"Oh dear Alice," Rabbit said, in a high-pitched squeal. Faith looked up confusedly, but neither acknowledged her, so she put her head back down to her chest. "I must alert Caterpillar... oh, there is NO TIME NOW!!"  
  
Cat nodded. "Tell him," he said. "And hurry."  
  
"They are gathering strength, you know. They are preparing for offence."  
  
"They are offensive enough individually, without being in one big group."  
  
"What shall we do? They are not as weak as they once were. The Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar are strong leaders."  
  
"I know that! But our spy will aid us greatly as well. What do we have to worry about with it on our side? I will set to creating an adequate offence... for dealing with the others."  
  
"What of Faith?"  
  
"Don't worry," Hatter's voice sounded. "The Queen will take care of her... very shortly."  
  
Faith hesitated in front of a mirror. All of the others had twisted her into sick, grotesque shapes and she had no real idea of what purpose they served anymore. Then again, they confused her; she couldn't figure out what was left or right, or any direction when she looked into one. They made her dizzy. Several times she caught sight of one of those awful automatons reflected in the glass, but when she turned to face it or threw her knife, there was nothing. Sometimes she ran into one anyway, but some of them were weak.  
  
She knew that Cat and Rabbit were getting awfully worried; more so than usual. Rabbit was in more of a hurry, and he rushed to guide her through the maze of mirrors, although he wasn't always certain of where he was going. She had only just lost him again now. Cat was awfully worried, and he frequently snapped at her to hurry for reasons she didn't know - and he wasn't telling.  
  
Since that little talk of theirs, neither of them had really looked at or talked to her. In fact, it seemed as though they were preparing for her imminent departure. But when she asked them about it, they snapped at her not to ask questions at that point, and sped up. It was exhausting.  
  
Something reflecting in a mirror caught her eye. It was not in the dark, red tones that the rest of Hatter's "Funhouse" was in. It was sterile, white, and people crowded in it. Cat and Rabbit were gone. Suddenly, strangely afraid, she looked closer. The people were surrounding a bed, and a small figure rested on it, unmoving. Another figure stalked around the room, near the door.  
  
"This, ladies and gentlemen," Reynald began, "is the most advanced technique of hypnosis known to modern psychologists today."  
  
Halden waited pensively near the door, trying not to watch. Faith had come back abruptly, comatose, in her room. Her hair was dishevelled and all different lengths - as though she'd been fighting with a pair of scissors. She'd been bruised, bloody, and her clothes had been torn. But she'd been strangely fit - as though she'd spent most of her time gone running, or doing some other type of athletics. She'd given Lucy quite the scare. Now, she was tiny in the hospital bed, surrounded by all of these people, and the monitoring machines. He didn't want to watch. But he forced himself, thinking, crazily, that if he kept his eyes on her, nothing would happen.  
  
Reynald fiddled with his watch, so that the hands spun alarmingly fast. A bright red second hand twirled in the opposite direction that it was supposed to. He held it up to the doctors. "After I administer the medication, and perform this simple act of "buffoonery," as one of my... colleagues called it, Faith Maras will be completely cured." He gave Halden a rather nasty sidelong glare.  
  
Cat hissed from atop a counter, and Reynald turned to get the medications. Instead, he found a strange, disgusting... talking cat with a wide grin staring him in the eye - and glaring menacingly. "Do not do this if you value your sanity," Cat hissed. "Faith means a great deal to us and we will not have you destroy her. She belongs to Wonderland, just as Alice did! Alice, the one your ancestor ruined back in the 1800s."  
  
"I don't believe in you," Reynald whispered back. Cat hissed at him again and placed a muddy, bloody paw on the lapel of his lab coat, raking it down, making a small tear in the fabric.  
  
"You don't need to." Somewhat shaken, Reynald turned back, two syringes in hand.  
  
"Now, as you can see, I am about to insert the fist syringe directly into the blood vessel. This is to lessen the shock that the second brings, which I will administer three minutes afterwards, and after less than five minutes the medic-"  
  
"Pardon me, Doctor," Halden interrupted. Reynald nodded briefly, and only Halden caught the vicious glance. "Wouldn't these drugs that you're using cause addiction, or some other negative consequence? There seems to be somewhat high concentrations of barbiturates and Benzodiazepines inside. If you use them on a patient that has been 'seeing things,' then wouldn't hallucinogens of any kind be bad for her?" There was a murmur of assent from the other doctors.  
  
"I am afraid that you are misinformed, Doctor," Reynald said coolly. "There are a few of them, I'll grant that, but not only are they vital to the formula, they are nowhere near the levels at which you seem to be talking about. They will not cause addiction."  
  
Once again, he lowered the first syringe into her arm. Halden, trying a last-ditch attempt at getting Reynald thrown out, stepped beside him. He had a quick excuse that it was only to check on her vital signs. Once he was close enough to Reynald, he pretended to only just notice the stain and tears on his coat and said,  
  
"Forgive me, but why is there a paw print on your coat? This is a sanitary area, and you're working with instruments that are supposed to be especially so." Reynald drew the now-empty syringe out, stood without a word, put the syringe down, tore off the lab coat and thrust it at Halden, who let it fall to the floor.  
  
"Get me a new one," he told an orderly. In the meantime, Cat sat on Faith's chest protectively, almost daring Reynald to come closer. As Reynald drew near, be belted out with an impromptu version of "The Walrus and the Carpenter," almost knocking Reynald back and startling his colleagues no small degree. Struggling to keep a calm expression, one of the doctors stared at him, with an expression of bewilderment and something along the lines of disdain.  
  
"Why, Doctor Reynald. I didn't know you... sang," she said at last. Reynald turned to her apologetically.  
  
"I really have to see about getting the speakers here fixed," he finally strangled out. She nodded sceptically but did not press him.  
  
He approached Faith again, and Cat bared his claws, forgetting that he was sitting on someone. He looked down for half a second, then raised a bleeding claw to Reynald, menacing him. Reynald swung the overhead light, and it caught Cat in the shoulder. He fell off of Faith and swore to make Reynald's life miserable from that moment on. The moment Reynald had the second lab coat on, he bent over Faith, who watched herself through the mirror, not fully aware of what was happening. She felt pricks in her chest, and saw a little blood, and knew that Cat had tried to protect her.  
  
Then she saw the second syringe go into her arm and felt a pricking there, and she started pounding on the mirror, screaming. She heard Jeremy's voice; loud at first, but getting quieter as the ticking the endless ticking filled her head. "Faith, you've got to fight this. You promised that you would save Wonderland, you promised that you would get better. This isn't better. Faith! Listen!"  
  
She knew what was happening, deep in the back of her mind, and she was frantically trying to fight the numbing effects. "Faith!" she shouted. Finally she saw Halden and Cat. "Dr. Halden! Cat! Don't let him do this!" Her voice rose, and her throat was sore from shouting. "Reynald, don't touch her!"  
  
"FAITH!!" Jeremy's voice screamed. She heard the laughing of Maggot and Jeremy's yelling and that ticking... make the ticking go away!  
  
On the other side of the mirror, Faith's eyes opened, and stared blankly at the ceiling. Reynald instructed an orderly to sit her up. Cat turned to Halden. "She's one of us," he hissed. "We tried to reach Alice, and now we tried to protect her and save her, but people like you or him wouldn't let us."  
  
"It's not my fault." Halden told him. Cat glared at him with utmost hatred and refused to listen.  
  
In the meantime, Reynald started swinging the watch, back and forth. On all of the mirrors around her, Faith saw the watch, swinging. Her vision grew hazy, and she soon found herself floating, but still the watch was clear, hands twirling, pulling her in. "FAITH!!" Jeremy appeared in front of her, trying to grab on, but just passing through. The hands of the watch grabbed her and held on, pulling her everywhere, but mostly in. Her eyes closed as a void appeared, sucking everything in its path. Its unrelenting force grabbed at her prone form, and she felt herself being carried away, yet offered no resistance. "FAAIITH!!"  
  
The pendulum swung around in her head, the second hand went round and round and she felt herself growing dizzy.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked. 


	39. Chapter 39

Halden frowned over at her. She was confused, and was shaking uncontrollably. He looked around for Cat. "Where are you?" he muttered.  
  
"I'm right here," Cat's voice sounded from several different places. It did not sound remotely happy. "She is right there. I'm leaving." Halden shook his head and looked around. The other doctors were both congratulating Reynald and trying to get near enough to Faith to question her. She looked at each of them, but said nothing. Something flickered across her face when she saw Halden, as well as Reynald, but both were unidentifiable.  
  
Faith was so confused. What was happening? One moment, she had been in her cell. Now, she was here, surrounded by people. There was... what was his name? Halden. He had said that he didn't think she was insane. But why not? She had been seeing things; hearing things... they were all in her head. Come to think of it, what exactly had it been? She didn't exactly remember. A child's fantasy, nothing more. Just something innocent gone terribly wrong. There was no reason to think that something hadn't been wrong.  
  
Her shoulder hurt, and she rubbed it, startled to find a small star of scar tissue. When had she been hurt??? Her gaze slowly travelled to Reynald, and a spasm of hatred flickered across her face. Why had she hated him again? Oh, right. He was a greedy, intolerable bastard. Her hand went to her side, and she looked down when she felt nothing there. But what had she expected to feel? She was in the asylum uniform, in a cot, with the only thing near being her blanket. She felt weak, sore, and strangely, extremely tired. She didn't even notice Halden coming closer, while all of the others swarmed around Reynald.  
  
"Faith?" he asked softly.  
  
"What just happened? Why can't I remember anything... why is my chest bleeding?"  
  
"I can't say just yet," he whispered. "But if I can find a way to get to you before your return check here, then we'll figure everything out."  
  
"I don't know how," she whispered. "Am I going home? Is it finished?"  
  
"Yes, you are. The doctors are going to run some tests, and then you're going home. The workers are just adding the last coat of paint to it," he whispered back. "It took awhile to build."  
  
"I'll move back in as soon as I'm out... though, I don't quite know when that'll be."  
  
"You'll stay here for about two weeks while they observe you, then once you're deemed cured, you can go."  
  
"Have you got any advice?"  
  
"Yes. If you hear any voices for these next two weeks, ignore them. If you hear them in your sleep, wake up. Talk to people. Make small talk with the nurses; gossip, if you must."  
  
"I'm sure as hell not going to chit-chat with Emelia," she whispered furiously. He nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You don't need to. Just be pleasant with those that you previously ignored."  
  
She hesitated, and took his arm. "Help me stand," she whispered. She felt safe like that, holding him for just a moment. Then he helped to get her to her feet, and she swayed dizzily. He caught her, and for that split second it seemed to her that there were no other people in the room. He steadied her and she half hung on his arm as she worked to stand. The other doctors stopped talking to Reynald and immediately crowded around her. Reynald was a little angry at the sudden departure of attention, and his ire was only aroused further when he saw that Halden was partially in the centre of it. He rolled his eyes, and clapped his hands for attention.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid that the patient is in need of rest. I am certain that you shall see her when she is rested, but for now, she will be escorted to the Observation Ward."  
  
He reached towards them, to take Faith, but she only tightened her grip on Halden's arm. "I know where it is," Halden told him. "I can escort her." Reynald stared at him for a long moment, but finally nodded reluctantly, malice in his eyes.  
  
"Fine. Get going, before she collapses."  
  
Faith raised an eyebrow at him and turned away. They took it slowly, and Halden helped her. "Where is it?" he asked.  
  
"I have no idea." She admitted. "No-one ever goes there. Lucy knows, though."  
  
"Let's go ask her then," he said, and they went to find the nurse's office.  
  
Six months later, Faith felt as though nothing had ever been wrong. She had forgotten to call up Halden - she was so busy catching up on society, friends... everything that she had missed the last seven years. There was still something that she had put off doing, though. She was afraid of the reminders that it carried.  
  
Finally, she went up to Florence Cemetery and paid her respects to her family, especially Jeremy. On Jeremy's grave, she laid a photograph of them after he'd won a sports tournament of some sort. Photos were all she had now, she thought bitterly. On her mother's went a photograph of the two of them dressing up in fancy clothes, looking like princesses. On her father's she laid another photo, of her when she was a baby. He had her up on his shoulders.  
  
"Charming little memories," a deep, elegant voice sounded from a few feet away. She looked behind her, and saw a gentleman standing there casually. He was about six feet tall, and she shielded her eyes from the sun's glare as she looked up to face him. He had dark hair worn slicked back, which fell to his neck. He had a fair, though golden complexion, and a goatee. His suit was expensive, as was the overcoat that he held in his arms. His eyes. They were golden brown but cold and they seemed to pierce her soul, as if they knew everything about her; as though they could see into her mind. They almost scared her. The scar on her shoulder stung, and she slowly brought a hand to it. Without ever leaving her face, his eyes followed the motion of her hand.  
  
"Is there something you want, sir?" she asked. His eyes took on a slightly warmer look.  
  
"I only wanted to check up on you. It has been quite a while." She was confused.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
"Better than you think," was the smug reply.  
  
"How? I don't think that I've ever seen you before."  
  
"Oh, you have." He grinned, and something in the back of her mind sparked. But it was brief, fleeting, and she didn't know why. She stood.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I have a doctor's appointment I have to go t-"  
  
"Don't." His tone of voice was abrupt, forceful. She turned to face him.  
  
"Why not, sir? Besides, it isn't really your decision as to what appointments I choose to and not to keep!"  
  
He stared stonily at her, and she grew nervous. He seemed to know a lot about her. But... how? And she barely knew him, but he suddenly seemed awfully dangerous. "Yes... you honour your appointments, don't you? Much like you honoured the one with your good friend Halden?"  
  
She froze. "Halden..." she murmured. " I'd completely forgotten him."  
  
"Of course you have. That's why you're here."  
  
"At the cemetery?" She asked disbelievingly. His eyes rolled up in unmistakable annoyance.  
  
"No, Faith. Here, in your world." She stared blankly.  
  
"My world?"  
  
"I shall see you again soon," he said suddenly, looking at the darkening sky.  
  
"What? No, no! First you come here, telling me that I can't go somewhere; the next thing you're saying that you have to go?"  
  
"Missing me already?" It sounded almost like a sadistic purr. She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Believe me, whoever you are, I was perfectly happy before I met you... and I certainly shan't be missing you. I never did."  
  
He stepped back, giving a short bow from the shoulders. "Farewell, friend. I shall be seeing you again."  
  
"Wonderful," she groaned, and stepped back.  
  
"Perhaps when I do, I can tell you what really happened."  
  
She whirled around, but he was gone. "Wait!" she yelled, and ran to the crest of the hill that she could have sworn that he'd been on. There was nothing in any direction. Confused, she looked up, half expecting to see him there. Instead, she saw the moon, out fairly early. It was a thin, grinning sliver in the sky. She grinned back, more out of habit than any really happy feeling. Then it winked out, and she jumped back several feet. She almost missed her footing and caught herself as she was beginning to fall in a natural, familiar movement. It was rather disturbing as far as she was concerned, because when she started to fall, she usually wound up completing the manoeuvre, instead of halting herself halfway.  
  
"I think I'm going insane," she muttered. "...Again."  
  
She checked her watch. 6:00 PM. Her appointment had been at 5:30. She was late, though as it was with Reynald, she failed to see many misfortunes there. Maybe a talk with Halden would be a little better... if he was still in London. If he wasn't, then she really couldn't do anything but stomp her feet and curse. Or bash a few heads in with a croquet mallet. WHAT?! She stopped mid-stride. For a moment, she had actually felt the weight of a mallet, the impact of it hitting a skull with a crack that was disturbingly familiar. She shut her eyes, somehow believing that if she shut them, then she could shut out the sound. Instead she was greeted with a grin, full of decaying, sharp teeth and bloody marks around the mouth.  
  
She left, quickly and silently, almost running, but not quite. In all honesty, she was about ready to bolt and she almost did, until she reached her home and collapsed on her bed. After she had finished with that episode, she went about collecting herself, gathering her thoughts, asking why the memories had disturbed her so. Memories? No, visions. Imaginings. Dreams. Hallucinations. Feeling a little better after a half an hour, she checked the clock. 6:00? No, it was that time when she had just thought about the mal- better not go there again.  
  
She checked her watch. 6:00. But... no, it made sense. Her watch had probably stopped, that was all, perhaps that morning. But... no, it couldn't have. She'd been wearing it all day, she'd checked the time about ten times before going to the cemetery. She looked back up at the mantle clock. 6:02. Down at her watch. 6:02. Then jumped and suddenly stared back up at the mantle clock. There had been a cat there, she was positive of it. And the clock's hands had been spinning so fast... and the second hand had been going the wrong way, and it had been spinning and the other hands were spinning, and...  
  
"Get a hold on yourself," she muttered sharply, giving herself a sharp rap on the side of the head. It was almost funny, she decided. But if it was so funny, then why did she need convincing of it? "Yeah... That's it, you're cracking up," she groaned. 


	40. Chapter 40

Faith had been feeling that something was wrong for weeks - what it was, was the question. Now she and Jean relaxed in her den after a busy day, working on a huge puzzle; an abstract by Picasso. But she couldn't think coherently, and concentration in turn was impossible. Her thoughts were continually interrupted by either nonsense riddles and rhymes or brief, flashing images that she could never quite catch. Frowning, she picked up a piece of the puzzle, sorting out her jumbled mind under the pretence of looking for the piece's place.  
  
Why was everything so confusing all of a sudden? It was agonizing enough, having an insane conversation with a random... rather creepy stranger at the cemetery three months ago... and he claimed that she wasn't really of this world, or something like that. He seemed to know Reynald, and didn't like him... she didn't blame him on that count; she didn't care for him much herself. Granted, she didn't really remember much, other than that he was a stuff-shirt with a superiority complex and a serious attitude problem.  
  
Then there was Halden. She hadn't been able to get a hold of him at all, although she knew that he was still in England.  
  
"Faith? You've been staring at that piece for a quarter of an hour."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I just can't figure out where it goes."  
  
"Liar. You always knew where everything went."  
  
"Things change, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I know. But even if you haven't done it for years, your gift was that you never lost it."  
  
"Lost what?" She absently took a sip from a glass of cider by her side.  
  
"You know... you. I mean, your gifts, your weaknesses... your sense of self."  
  
"Oh come on; you can't be turning Mr. Rogers on me, can you?"  
  
"No... but what of Halden? You haven't lost him."  
  
"What do you mean, Jean? I can't even get a hold of him, let alone find him."  
  
"I know where he is."  
  
"Stalker?" she teased, lapsing from her preoccupation for a moment and laughing.  
  
"No... but I was inquisitive to find where I could write to him in case I recalled something about your personality before the fire."  
  
"Oh, brother," she groaned.  
  
"No, seriously. He was worried about you - I've talked to him."  
  
"You never struck me as the type that would need a psychiatrist," Faith remarked matter-of-factly. "Actually, you always struck me as the type that would laugh at them when they try to pull their 'hocus pocus' on you."  
  
"Usually I am," Jean confessed. "But I like this Halden. He was really worried that you'd never contacted him."  
  
"So what are you, the go-between?" Faith was a little disbelieving.  
  
"No... I just agree with him. You haven't been yourself." There was a long pause. "You're rubbing your scar again." Immediately Faith forced her hand down from her shoulder and tinkered with a piece. Where did it go? Where did she go? Everything had turned into one big puzzle, and even if they seemed like the right combination, the pieces always refused to fit together. She wished she knew why and shut her eyes.  
  
Faith sighed and opened them, staring down at the table. Her reflection peered up at her from the shiny, dark wood. She looked a little tired. A little pale. A little bloody. At the last deliberation she stopped and shut her eyes. Cuts on her cheek, most of her hair sawn off... slowly she opened them again and peered more closely. It was like being reflected in water, she thought. A little pond, smooth and glassy as ice, but tinting everything brown. Her reflection stared back up at her, sad and drawn.  
  
Jean watched Faith staring at the wood, but she only saw her as she was then - healthy but growing paler by the second. What was she seeing in there? Her mind had always worked in mysterious ways; that was certain. But to stare at her reflection so long; unblinking, confused; was not like her at all.  
  
Faith saw her reflection blurring, morphing, and Halden was there. He looked up at her, lines of concern around the eyes and forehead - he was young, but there was a little grey at his temples now. Then he was gone, too and the man at the cemetery was there, smirking. He knew something about the last few months. He knew what was wrong, and she knew without a doubt that she would have to find him. Then he too morphed, into a grinning Cat, skeletal and tattooed, with sharp teeth with bloodstains, and she recoiled so fast that she knocked over her glass, which shattered, cider pooling at Faith's feet.  
  
Jean looked up at her, scared. "I'm sorry," Faith whispered, finding no excuse to come to her tongue. "I'll go clean it up."  
  
It had been two months since she'd met the man in the cemetery - it was December 9th. She missed yet another appointment with Reynald... come to that, she hadn't gone to any at all. His secretary called, wanting to set up another appointment, but Faith hung up on her, saying that she had the wrong number in French. The secretary called back, though. This time she flatly refused a return appointment. Reynald needed a few things before she would see him again. A better attitude... and an enema, she mentally jibed. Whatever. Maybe that day... maybe she would find Halden; sort of hunt him down. Absently she rubbed the scar on her shoulder. Oh, wait. Jean wanted to see her.  
  
A few moments later, Jean herself illustrated this when she called, saying that she was on her way over. Within minutes, she was trotting through the front door, purse in hand and a wide grin on her face.  
  
"Hey Faith!" she grinned.  
  
"Hello, Jean," she returned, a little preoccupied. "What do you want to do today?"  
  
"I was thinking shopping. Y'know, replace your wardrobe, as you've been pretty much living in mine... distract you, in other words." Faith nodded slowly.  
  
"I suppose," she said calmly.  
  
"Well then," Jean said cheerfully. "Let's go!"  
  
"All right, all right," Faith sighed. "Let me get my coat."  
  
"Right," Jean grinned. "I'll be waiting by the car."  
  
"Oh yeah," Faith turned away from the coat closet. "I forgot you had a car."  
  
"So do you not want a coat anymore?" Jean inquired.  
  
"No, I do. I just forgot."  
  
Jean gave her an alarmed look. "You helped me pick it out two weeks ago, remember?"  
  
"Yeah. Sorry, I've just been a little... preoccupied lately." She wanted to tell, but found herself unable to. Jean would think that she was insane. There were really only two people that would really, truly understand, and she couldn't find either of them anywhere.  
  
"You're telling me? You've barely shown any emotion beyond preoccupation in weeks." Jean led Faith over to the sofa and sat down. "Faith, tell me what's wrong. You haven't been yourself, and I want to help you somehow, but you won't let me."  
  
"I can't. I know you'll support me... but at the same time, I don't know. You'll think I'm crazy."  
  
"How can you tell that? Neither of us can know until I hear."  
  
Faith sighed. "When we were working on the puzzle, I saw my face in the wood. But I looked... different."  
  
"Different? How?"  
  
"I was paler. Um, I looked very tired and I was bleeding from a cut on my cheek. My hair looked like it had been mostly cut off. I was wearing the clothes that I had on the night of the fire."  
  
Jean nodded. "What then? Even the cut on your face wouldn't have made you..."  
  
Faith nodded quickly. "Then I saw Halden. He looked tired, too. And sad. There was grey at his temples."  
  
"Ooh, scary," Jean joked.  
  
"That's not funny," Faith said flatly. "Then there was a man that I met a few months ago."  
  
"That's all? How did he stick in your mind so well?" Jean asked incredulously.  
  
Faith sighed. "He just told me things, that's all. Things that I guess I didn't want to know."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Can we just get on with it?" she sighed, guilty that she was being so tetchy. Jean only nodded. "Anyway, then there was a cat."  
  
Jean looked as though she was dying to ask a question, but thought better of it.  
  
"He was... creepy. You remember that cat from all of my stories?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It was him, only... he was thin, almost wasted. He was tattooed and had an earring and he just wouldn't stop looking at me. Then he spoke my name and..."  
  
Jean stared at her. "Faith," she whispered at last. "I think you're scaring me."  
  
"I scare myself, sometimes."  
  
The last store. Finally. Faith got exasperated with shopping easily, but she knew that a wardrobe change would be a nice thing, considering that she had about five things in her closet, three of which she had borrowed from Jean.  
  
The boutique was one for casual, classy stuff. It catered to both men and women, but it wasn't terribly crowded. She was studying a sweater when a man approached her. At first she thought he was old, but then she looked closely and realised that he was young... and an albino.  
  
"Excuse me, Faith."  
  
She stopped and whirled around. "Who are you?"  
  
He fidgeted. "There really isn't TIME for petty questions," he said.  
  
Faith found herself backing away.  
  
"I hadn't thought that question was petty," she said, a little confused. He seemed rather familiar.  
  
His eye twitched. "Well, it is! And there isn't time for it!"  
  
She looked at him uneasily. Quite distant now was the feeling of familiarity; now the main feeling that she had was discomfort. "Quite honestly, you're scaring me," she said, putting her hand at her side. He followed it with his eyes, looking smugly at her when she found nothing but the side of her jeans.  
  
"Were you expecting to find something?" he asked. He held up his hand, palm up, and she thought she saw the faint outlines of a knife. Instinctually she reached for it. What was she doing? Her hand touched where the handle should be. This was too crazy. She tried to grasp it, her hand passing through. Wha...?  
  
"Am I seeing things?"  
  
"Only that you can see, Faith. Only you are meant to see these things."  
  
"I'm going crazy."  
  
"No, you succeeded long ago."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I must go now! I'm running out of time!" he said abruptly.  
  
Faith reached out and grabbed him by the wrist. "No! What do you mean? How do you know me? What's all this nonsense about time?"  
  
He looked at her, surprised. "Nonsense, Faith? Time is what I live by. And right now, I do not have enough of it!"  
  
"Time is running out," she said quietly, remembering hearing someone speak it... what seemed like a long time ago. He froze and stared at her. She looked at him calmly, though in all actuality her heart felt like it was doing the flamenco.  
  
"Yes, it is," he agreed, temporarily losing that frenetic look. "For you, and for Wonderland."  
  
Wonderland. That name... it was the place that she told stories about as a child. But it didn't exist, did it? Was Wonderland the explanation for all the strange things that she had experienced?  
  
"I must go now. Wonderland is calling me!" and he dashed out. Nobody noticed him. Nobody seemed to care. She blinked a few times, because it seemed that he turned into a rabbit, even as he ran.  
  
Then Jean appeared from behind a rack of clothing, blocking him from view.  
  
"Ready?" she asked cheerfully. Faith didn't answer for a moment.  
  
"Yeah," she finally said. "Sorry for keeping you." 


	41. Chapter 41

"Hypnosis is a strong weapon," Cat murmured. "But truth is always the stronger of the two."  
  
"Keep thinking that," Caterpillar said encouragingly. Cat grimaced.  
  
"I know, but that bastard Reynald! I want to get him rather intimately acquainted with my claws." He stalked around, casting dark looks at the bits of foliage that dared fall into his path. "Faith hasn't totally recovered yet."  
  
"Yes, but she is starting the process," Caterpillar soothed.  
  
"After... what has it been, almost a year! She should have been rushing to find us by now," he growled. He hung his head. "She's not coming back."  
  
"Yes she is," Caterpillar argued. "I sent Rabbit to check on her."  
  
Cat's ears flattened against his head. "I would much rather you had sent me." His voice had taken on a suddenly dark note.  
  
"Whatever for?" Caterpillar asked, eyebrow raised.  
  
"I-"  
  
"Ah! I'm late!" Rabbit groaned, coming in. He tugged on one of his gloves, which was coming off, and plunked down wearily.  
  
"Later," Cat whispered in a low voice.  
  
Faith sighed and checked her watch. 5:17. For once since she'd returned, she had nothing to do. Her schedule, generally kept comfortingly full, was empty for the day. Now, she was alone. She sighed and stood. Perhaps she could... she sat back down. No way. She'd just spend the rest of the day watching movies or something... she wasn't about to break the order that she'd established since she got back.  
  
She leaned her head back and sighed. But WHY had she worked so hard to establish it? To replace something? Or was there another reason that she didn't know - or remember?  
  
Eventually she stood and walked around the kitchen. Generally she spent most of her time... but where did she spend it? She was always on the move, always going from one place to another, no rest, no breaks... and so tired. She shook her head rapidly, taking long, deep breaths that seemed to turn shorter and shallower as she went. A hill, a village a house, and she threw herself out of the way of... some unseen threat.  
  
She looked up from her spot on the floor, feeling rather foolish all of a sudden. Whatever had just transpired... was rather disturbing. Perhaps she just needed to walk a bit... perhaps down to that little coffee shop a few blocks away. Yes, that would be excellent.  
  
When she arrived, she was very unhappy to see the long, perfectly blonde, perfect coiffure of Emelia. Perhaps she would just leave... "It's the sewer rat," Emelia suddenly drawled, looking over. Faith felt her hackles rise.  
  
"The only sewer rat here, Emelia, is the one that's crawling over your foot," she replied, sweetly but with barely contained malice. Emelia jumped up, upsetting her chair, but saw no rat. People were staring, and she looked around through the corners of her eyes at them. No way to kill the little freak. Damn. So she forced herself to smile, though her eyes remained slits.  
  
"Nice little joke," she hissed. Steady... She forced her voice to lighten. "Darling, next thing I know, you'll be saying that the Cheshire Cat is trying to catch it."  
  
Cheshire Cat... Faith's eyes clouded briefly in confusion. Cheshire Cat. From all of her stories, of course. She'd seen him in her tabletop.  
  
"And then, let me guess," Emelia said loudly, tossing her head so that her hair flowed down over her shoulder. Several people turned to look. "After Kitty's finished his lunch, he'll implore you to come back to Wonderland."  
  
Faith hesitated. That sounded about... no, Emelia was just trying to make a fool of her. She narrowed her eyes, but Emelia took no notice of her.  
  
"But these fine people don't know what I'm talking about," Emelia laughed. To everyone but Faith, she sounded quite apologetic. To Faith, however, she sounded as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself... which she was. "You see, everyone," she continued, "Faith was in a mental asylum just a few months back."  
  
"It's closer to eight, idiot," Faith said angrily. "And they don't need to know anything about it."  
  
"Oh, but it's such an amusing story to tell," Emelia replied. Oh yes... now she was paying Faith back for all those cuts, bruises, and general injuries that she had received. "When Faith was about seven, she started having hallucinations of this place called Wonderland. There were all manner of unnatural creatures there... chess pieces that talked, a Cheshire Cat that did absolutely nothing more than grin and spew out pointless riddles... and this Rabbit creature that had a pocket watch and thought it was late for," here she dropped her voice, as though she was sharing a personal secret, "croquet with the Queen of Hearts!  
  
"Now," she continued, after the fairly small chorus of laughter (there weren't many people in there, but more were arriving) died down. "I don't know about you folks, but I for one, must wonder." She turned to Faith, looking serious. "How was it, playing croquet against a card?" A slightly louder chorus met her ears.  
  
Faith's hand travelled down to her side, and she was incredibly disappointed to find nothing there. Just ignore her, she told herself frantically, keeping her face as blank as possible. When no one sees that you're reacting, they won't be so quick to laugh...  
  
Emelia continued. "Then there was an accident at home, and Faith was sent to a mental asylum. Totally insane. Incurable." People that had been sitting near Faith backed away slightly. "And that turned into seven years of her bullying the staff and screaming at night for some unknown things to leave her alone. 'No, don't make me! I'm not ready to save you yet!'" she said, leaning back on a table. Several men glanced at her appreciatively. Even bundled up for winter, she was a fine figure to behold, and she knew it.  
  
"And that's not all," she said, her voice turning slightly piteous. "I don't know about all of you, but I pity the little girl."  
  
"No you don't," Faith snapped, looking up. "You hate me as much as I hate you. There's no pity."  
  
"You see, the asylum let her go, but under provisional care. That care is me. Her sister." Emelia widened her blue eyes slightly, making herself seem more innocent and angelic for doing so. "Faith isn't exactly in her right mind, so sometimes she'll have these fits. She'll still scream for the Cheshire Cat to leave her alone. Because she has to save Wonderland, you see," she drawled, making what may have been a pitiable statement into a comical one.  
  
Faith's head snapped up. Save Wonderland..? Suddenly she found herself wishing that Emelia would keep talking... but no, don't keep talking. Just shut up! Slowly she stood, and realised that she was shaking head to foot.  
  
Everyone's attention, however, was focused on Emelia, and they paid no attention to Faith. Emelia, besides, was going over a rather enthusiastic rendition of one of Faith's therapy sessions with Dr. Hamilton. Faith staggered to the door and slipped out.  
  
Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. But once again, they turned out short and shallow. She reached her home and sat down on the front step. Hold it in, she tried to tell herself. Just hold it in. "Cat..." she moaned.  
  
She screamed when a huge, grinning cat appeared before her. "You called?" it... or rather, he asked. Faith stared at it.  
  
"What are you?" she asked wildly. Oh god, Emelia was telling the truth...  
  
"Strange that you call me by what I am and still feel it necessary to ask," he said. There was a distinct frown in his voice, and a surprising gentleness in his eyes.  
  
"Just go," she said, on the verge of hysterics. "Please. I didn't mean to call you I didn't want to see you I don't even know what you are just please go."  
  
Cat cocked his head in concern, but vanished.  
  
Faith looked up at the spot where he had just been. "What the hell is wrong with me?!" she screamed. 


	42. Chapter 42

Jean stood outside Halden's flat again. A little nervous, she knocked on the door. She'd felt nervous about coming ever since Faith had come back. What if she interrupted something important? She was about to knock on the door when she heard shouting. It sounded like Halden, and he sounded somewhat angry. Then there was another voice, a rather nice sound, though if one was on the receiving end of the taunting... well, she didn't want to be that person. "Get out of my home!" Halden finally said, loudly and firmly.  
  
Jean backed away from the door for a moment, slightly uneasy, but then got up the courage to come up and knock.  
  
"Come in," Halden called. She was confused. He sounded a little gruff, but otherwise fine. She tried the door.  
  
"I can't. It's locked," she called in. She heard something of an exasperated groan from inside, and Halden opened the door. He was alone in the room. She looked around curiously.  
  
"Where's that other man?" Halden looked surprised.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I heard two voices here," she said. She looked around, positive that there would be someone. Halden stayed where he was, looking vaguely uncomfortable.  
  
"Two voices?" he repeated. "No... you're mistaken on that."  
  
"No, I'm not," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now, why are you so paranoid, and who were you yelling at?"  
  
"Oh, he was yelling at me," Cheshire said, coming out of the kitchen. Jean jumped, not expecting this new stranger. He'd helped himself to Dr. Halden's milk, judging by the near-full glass in his hand. She glanced at it, just a bit amused.  
  
Cheshire saw her smirk and ignored it. "Now, as I was saying, before you tried to throw me out and we were interrupted..." here he cast a sidelong look at Jean, "...has Faith called on you yet?"  
  
Halden shook his head, and said in a defeated sort of voice, "the hypnosis is still on. I haven't figured out how to counter the drugs yet - they're pretty strong." The glass slammed onto a side table. Cheshire looked rather disgusted.  
  
"Leave that to me... I will take care of the hypnosis, and Reynald."  
  
Halden was about to answer, but the doorbell rang. Jean perked up, thinking that maybe it was Faith. Cheshire's eyes narrowed slightly; he apparently knew this was not the case. Halden cleared his throat slightly and said, "Come in."  
  
"It's locked," a frustrated voice on the other side said.  
  
"It shouldn't be," Jean called.  
  
"Well, it is!"  
  
Halden sighed and opened the door, wondering who it would be this time. As it turned out, someone completely new. An albino stood there, and some measure of shock was on his face. "Cheshire?"  
  
"Rabbit," Cheshire inclined his head, with more than a hint of surprise in his voice.  
  
"What on Earth are you doing here?" the strangely named man asked. He fidgeted with a white pair of gloves, and walked around a bit. Jean stared at him, then shook herself - staring was a bit rude, especially if they caught you.  
  
"I would ask the same of you," Cheshire replied. He was still, and his posture was relaxed. "Have you made contact with her?"  
  
"Yes, actually," he sounded rather pleased with himself. "At some store at the shopping centre. She was... rather perturbed at the end," he said, sounding rather cheerful.  
  
"How long ago?"  
  
"Just a bit less than a week." The man sat down. The navy blue and forest green of Halden's furniture looked especially dark behind him. "Then we were interrupted by a summons by the Caterpillar, of course," he said, rolling his eyes. Jean wondered if they were involved in some sort of crime ring... Cheshire, Rabbit... Caterpillar? They were the oddest names she'd ever heard. Rabbit got up and started pacing. "Have you?"  
  
"No, disgustingly enough. Not besides the cemetery, or that disaster last night. If you'll remember, my activities here are somewhat more restricted than yours. There are only a few places that I can see her."  
  
"Pay her a house call. You can go there. Whatever you do though, you really don't have much time to do it in," Rabbit pointed out. Cheshire nodded.  
  
"When I 'paid her a house call', as you say, I terrified her."  
  
"I rather meant as you are now, my friend."  
  
"I've been planning that."  
  
"How are you restricted?" Halden asked suddenly. Both men stared at him, indignant of the interruption.  
  
"I suppose the dull ones do need an explanation," Rabbit sighed. "I'm just concerned with how much time it will take."  
  
"You give it to them. I have no patience for it," Cheshire said distastefully. Jean glared at them.  
  
"I don't give a damn about restrictions, I just want to know what the hell you guys are up to with my friend!" Rabbit stopped and stared. Cheshire looked up, surprise evident on his normally collected face. Twice in one day, she thought wryly. Not bad.  
  
"Very well," he said coldly. "Rabbit, you can explain it to the good doctor, and I'll take care of this one."  
  
"I don't want you to tell me," she snapped. "I've no patience for those who don't respect me." Cheshire looked her stonily in the face.  
  
"Very well. I'm not going to bother then."  
  
"Cheshire," Halden said. "What exactly are you planning to do to get the hypnosis off?"  
  
"Probably he's going to insult her until he thinks her mind's cleared. It's what he's fond of doing to everyone else," Jean muttered. Cheshire ignored her.  
  
"Enough!" Rabbit finally shouted. "There's no time for all this bickering!"  
  
"And you and your time!" Jean yelled at him. "Thrice in five minutes you've piped up about it!"  
  
"That's because there is none!"  
  
("They're rather amusing..." -Cheshire.)  
  
"By whose clock!? The goddamn White Rabbit's!?"  
  
"Exactly!!"  
  
("No, not terribly," -Halden.)  
  
"You're out of your mind!" Jean yelled.  
  
("Rather like him and Faith before they had a heart-to-heart." -Cheshire.)  
  
"At least I have one!" he bellowed back.  
  
("I'm not sure I want to know." -Halden.)  
  
"You think you're a fucking FAIRY TALE!"  
  
("I'm not sure you're ready to." -Cheshire.)  
  
"And you have NO idea as to what's going on!"  
  
("Now I think I want to know." -Halden.)  
  
"So?"  
  
("So American of you. Not yet." -Cheshire.)  
  
"So keep quiet about things you DON'T UNDERSTAND!"  
  
"Will the two of you please demonstrate some maturity?" Halden finally snapped. Everyone was shouting; it was coming to be like an asylum in there!  
  
Then another knock was heard on the door, and all went silent. "Come in," Halden called. His voice cracked.  
  
"I can't," a frustrated female voice said. "It's locked!"  
  
Cheshire grimaced and walked over, unlocking the door and opening it. Jessica stood there, arms full of groceries. "Oh, it's you again," she muttered. He closed the door.  
  
"Saleswoman," he said calmly. Rabbit sniggered behind his hand.  
  
"Open it," Halden said crossly. Cheshire scowled and complied. Jessica, looking decidedly put out, stormed past him and dumped the groceries on the kitchen counter.  
  
"What are all of these people doing in my house?" she demanded. She smiled at Jean, but looked at the two men - one with distrust, the other with disgust.  
  
"If you can call this a house," Cheshire drawled. Jessica's fists clenched.  
  
"Shut up, you," she warned.  
  
"This must be your wife..." Rabbit said, breaking off from a heated conversation with Jean. "I've only had one source, but I hear she's quite crazy."  
  
"She is," Cheshire assured him. Jessica's eyes bugged in her anger, and she said something rather rude to Cheshire.  
  
"As you like it," he scoffed, dismissing her entirely. She paled, and Halden winced. If she was so angry that she lost her colouring... he shuddered. "You are SUCH a bastard!" she snarled. He smiled, with barely contained malice, but said nothing.  
  
"All this crap about what we're doing to Faith!" Rabbit growled at Jean, "and you have NO idea what she's been through! What we've helped her through!"  
  
"And I think I've helped her through more here, than you have in your own little world!"  
  
"Little twit!" he howled at her. "It's not MY world, it's HERS!"  
  
"You're mad! Crazy! Totally insane!"  
  
"Well I hate to break it to you, but so is she!" Rabbit yelled.  
  
"Believe me, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew for a fact that you were not someone that would be of any use whatsoever," Cheshire told Jessica.  
  
"Well, good for me," she snapped.  
  
"Oh yes. Quite pleasant, being a useless piece of luggage."  
  
"I really hate you!"  
  
"Oh, I've received a promotion," he said dryly.  
  
"What in hell are you going on about?"  
  
"Ordinarily you only hate me."  
  
"I don't have time for this!" Rabbit shouted  
  
"Why the obsession with time?!" Jean shouted back. "I'm sick of time! Just kill the damn thing!"  
  
"And I'm sick of you!"  
  
"Well that makes us even!" she shouted back.  
  
"And I'm sorry I can't kill you right now!" Jessica yelled at Cheshire.  
  
"Believe me, the pleasure you would derive from it would be nothing compared to what I would feel doing the same to you," he snapped back.  
  
"Get out of here!" she pointed toward the door.  
  
"Make me," he said smugly.  
  
"You want me to?"  
  
"Is that a challenge?"  
  
"No, it's a threat, dork."  
  
"Can everyone PLEASE just SHUT UP??" Halden said loudly, above the noise.  
  
"NO!" they yelled back at him. He glared at them disgustedly and stormed to the door, and yanked it open.  
  
Faith stood there, poised to knock, looking rather startled. "Doctor Halden?" she looked startled at the scene behind him... not something that she would expect to see in a psychologist's home. Jessica and Cheshire were about four feet apart, looking ready to kill. Jean and Rabbit were standing two feet apart, yelling in each other's faces. Rabbit and Cheshire stopped when they heard her, though, and Cheshire immediately started over, leaving Jessica standing there, confused. 


	43. Chapter 43

"Faith," he said, in a very relieved voice, before he could stop himself. Rabbit looked up immediately, and Jean's fist connected with his jaw. He stared at her in shock, then, looking very dignified, slid off a glove and slapped her across the face with it.  
"Faith," he said, much in the same tone as Cheshire.  
She looked warily at the two of them.  
"Faith, the albino is a nutcase!" Jean called. Faith looked at her, surprised.  
"So is she," Rabbit said, with an angry look in Jean's direction.  
"Wait," Faith said, holding up a hand. "Names."  
The two looked at each other. "Sorry?" Cheshire asked.  
"What are your names?" she asked.  
"I'm Cheshire," he said calmly.  
"I'm Rabbit. Do you remember us yet?"  
"No... I came to see Halden," she said, looking uncomfortable. "I didn't know you had company, though."  
"Rather accidental, in all cases," he said, turning a little red around the collar.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked Jean.  
"Well... you remember that I told you I'd visited him?" Jean flushed, embarrassed.  
"Heh, heh, heh," Rabbit cackled.  
"Shut up you berk," Jean snapped.  
"Why don't you, and save us a bit of hot air?" he replied. She moved away from Faith and started toward him. Halden groaned.  
"Not again..."  
"And you," Jessica said to Cheshire, looking peeved. He glared back at her.  
"What about me?" he sneered.  
And within minutes, everyone was fighting again. Halden took Faith by the arm and led her to a part of the flat that was at least somewhat quieter. They sat down in two chairs, in what looked to be the dining room.  
"Faith, do you remember Wonderland? Anything at all?"  
"That's really what I came to see you about." She sounded troubled. "You see, I ran into Emelia the other day, and she brought up Wonderland. Then..." she shuddered.  
"What?" he asked gently. "What happened?"  
"This huge, grinning cat appeared. I ran home, and I don't know what happened... I just called out 'Cat' and suddenly the huge cat was sitting in front of me... then I told him to go and he left."  
"What do you remember about Wonderland? Did she bring up anything?"  
"I'd rather not go by what she brought up," she said tartly. "I remember... there was a Cheshire Cat. And a Rabbit. Was he black? No... maybe... no, I think he was white. Yes! The White Rabbit!" Then she paused, startled. "Rather like the albino in there."  
He nodded encouragingly. "Who else?"  
"There was, um, a bug. I didn't like him much. What was... what kind was it?" she leaned forward now, putting her head into her hands. Halden let her think; try to discover it on her own. "A Caterpillar!" she said triumphantly. "He always had a hookah with him, and he never gave me a straight answer for anything."  
"Do you remember anything about the place? Anything recent?"  
She frowned. "I dunno. Why are you so curious about it, though?"  
"Faith, you're not better."  
"Yes I am," she said defensively. "I'm much better. I don't have nightmares, I don't-"  
"What nightmares?" he asked quickly. "And if you're better, why did you see the Cheshire Cat last night?"  
"I don't remember," she said desperately. "But they were why I was put in there."  
"No," he said calmly. "Why you were put in is beyond the point. It's why you went insane, Faith."  
"My house burned down, I went into shock," she said flatly.  
"And what happened to your mind? What happened to Wonderland?"  
"Why is Wonderland so important?" she burst out. "It's just a bunch of stories I told when I was little!"  
"Then tell me one," he said gently.  
"All -all right," she said. She started telling one, the first that came into her head, but slowly it got more demented, more twisted. "The Vorpal Blade went snicker-snack, and cut through the flesh, and... er, that doesn't sound quite right." She stopped mid sentence. "No, I know that's not right. The croquet game, then." She started again, but this one ended with someone's head getting bashed in. She froze. "What is going on?" she whispered, burying her face in her hands.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I could feel it; I could feel the mallet in my hands, I could hear that cracking, I could feel the blood splashing on me," she was growing frantic. "Why is this happening to me?"  
"Because you aren't cured," he said reasonably. "Reynald's hypnosis is wearing off."  
"What hypnosis?"  
Halden paused. "He put you under hypnosis," he explained, "that essentially makes everything - but mainly Wonderland - seem little more than a memory, and a really fuzzy one, at that."  
She thought for a moment. "And there's no way to reverse it?"  
"None that I've discovered," he confessed. "I think it's just really trying to remember."  
"What do you know, at this point?" she asked.  
"I know that we had a total of twenty meetings over several months. During that time we didn't really discuss Wonderland. But at our last meeting, you told me that Jean would know something about it. She's helped, but I spent a lot of time convincing her to trust me, so I still don't know that much."  
Faith nodded. "What did I tell you? About anything. About Jeremy, about Wonderland, about-"  
"Alice."  
She nodded. "Definitely Alice."  
"You told me that she essentially created Wonderland as a little girl. It was somewhere where anything could happen. Her journal also said a lot. She described it, even though it's a seven-year-old's description. Then her house burned down. A nurse smuggled in her journal. Wonderland became progressively darker, until she just stopped writing for a number of days. Then, all of a sudden, she wrote in it again. I believe that she was hypnotized as well, because... she's just so blasé, but she always wrote about never feeling 'correct'."  
"And she wrote down a poem before she went," Faith remembered. Halden nodded, smiling.  
"Now... I think we need to start your business," he said practically. She nodded in agreement. "Now, just assume that Wonderland is real, and that you've been there. You've met the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and the Caterpillar." She nodded again. "Okay. The Cheshire Cat came here. He told me that you had started in the Village of the Damned, and that you didn't do too well."  
"I think I can remember some things about it," she said earnestly. "There was this big house, far off in the distance. There was-" she stopped and paled. "Oh shite (Ooh, sorry about that). I don't want to know what's inside it."  
"It'll help," he encouraged.  
"No, I want to wait," she said firmly. "After the house, there's a... a tunnel, I think. Then a village. Half of it's just ruins, really."  
"All right," he said. "And after the village? We're going for barebones description."  
"There's a mine. I ride a cart down to this other tunnel... peanut butter." Halden did a double take. Peanut butter? What did peanut butter have to do with anything??? "Then there're doors. Lots of doors. I go through one, and I'm in this fortress..." and she went on to list the places she thought she'd been. Most of the time she wasn't sure of herself, and she really had to think to remember a few. Several times what she said didn't match up with the account given to him by the Cheshire Cat. Faith was getting frustrated.  
"Calm down," he said quietly. "This isn't something that can just up and leave. It's something that's going to take time, okay?" She nodded, frustrated. "Have you had enough for today?"  
"Yeah, I think so," she said wearily. "I'd rather go see why everyone in there seems on the verge of murder."  
Halden laughed, and they quitted the room, going back to the sitting room. Jessica (who Faith didn't know) was following Cheshire around the room, yelling at him, and he was generally either ignoring her or making some reply with barely controlled irritation. Jean and Rabbit were back to how they were when she'd entered: less than two feet apart and screaming in the other's face.  
"Oh lord..." Faith seemed at the point of laughter - they were rather funny sights. Jessica's face was bright red, and her eyes were flashing dangerously. Cheshire was pale, his eyes slits, though when she made a particularly snappish comment, he would go red and make an equally vicious response. Jean and Rabbit were also red... well, Jean was; Rabbit was more of a pale pink colour. He was standing stiffly, his hands clenched into fists that he would hold close to his sides, and his left eye was beginning to twitch, very rapidly. Jean was slightly bent towards him, and was making excellent use of her diaphragm. It would have been totally hilarious, if Faith and Halden weren't terrified at the prospect of bloodshed.  
"See?! I knew you were crazy, look AT YOUR EYE!!"  
"Did I ever DENY it?! I THINK NOT!!"  
"Well it's not something to be PROUD OF!!"  
"Come off it," Cheshire told Jessica. "Sanity is highly overrated."  
"It IS not!"  
"It is."  
"And how could you be so certain?"  
"Look at yourself. That's answer enough." Jessica let out a strangled scream, but restrained herself from hitting him.  
"You are SUCH a frigging BASTARD!!" Jean yelled at Rabbit.  
"If I am, the pole up my arse is probably TEN TIMES shorter than the one UP YOURS!"  
"Probably because someone stuck a very long, sharp pole up her ass," Faith remembered suddenly. The voice was the same, if a little less impassioned... but who... it was talking about someone. If only she could remember more!  
"Will you go with me for a walk?" she asked Halden. "I don't want to be responsible for them when blood is spilt."  
"Sure," he said, with something of a relieved smile. He grabbed his coat and they left.  
They walked up the street for some time without saying much, until she finally said, "How much about Wonderland do you know?"  
"The bits and pieces that Cheshire told me," he replied regretfully. "Not much, but I've been able to piece together a bit."  
"So, when I was in Wonderland, I was fighting for..?" she wondered aloud. "Probably my sanity, no?"  
"Is that what you honestly think?" at her inquiring look, he went on. "I just want to make sure that you're totally positive, because doubting is only going to impede your progress." She nodded.  
"I'm not a hundred per cent positive," she confessed. "But that's what I've come to believe, at least. I mean, if Wonderland is in my head, and if it represents my mental state, then it makes sense, doesn't it? And since I haven't... visited, I suppose is the best word, visited it since I was deemed cured, it makes sense." They crossed a street, and continued up the sidewalk. It was cold and blustery that night, and Faith was glad she'd worn a scarf.  
"Yes, it does," he said after a little while. It started to snow. "Do you want to go inside somewhere? There's a cafe just ahead." She nodded vigorously, a bit chilly. "Anyway, Reynald's been getting on my case lately."  
"Reynald? What for?" She looked disgusted by the very mention of his name.  
"He thinks I've been encouraging you to miss your appointments."  
"Hah!" she laughed bitterly. "I can be the first to say that I've missed them on my own... and that I haven't seen you in eight months."  
He nodded. "Why didn't you see me before now?"  
She flushed slightly. "I... well. Er, I didn't want to. I wanted to forget everything about my insanity."  
He nodded. He was a little disappointed in her, but he told himself several times that it was normal, but he couldn't go so far as to say acceptable. "I suppose I can understand," he said, not sounding happy.  
"It's my fault," she confessed. "I've been wanting to see you for the last few months, but I haven't been able to find you. I got your address a month ago from Jean, and every time I came over, you weren't home."  
"Sorry," he said, grinning. "I've been going around, looking for those two."  
"That'll be an interesting venture," she said wryly. "Considering that, if they are who they say, then they're in my head most of the time."  
They stepped inside, surprised to find it fairly empty. They walked up to the counter, where a cheerful-faced girl greeted them. "Hallo!"  
"Hi," Faith said. Halden echoed her.  
"What might I get for you? Something hot, I daresay," the girl, Corinne, grinned. They both nodded.  
"I'd like mint tea," Faith said.  
"Coffee for me," Halden said. Corinne filled Faith's cup, and asked,  
"Either of you want sugar? Cream for you, sir?"  
"Just a bit of sugar," he said quickly, seeing her about to break out the cream. Faith declined anything in hers, and they waited for Halden's coffee as Corinne gossiped away, about the day's customers, and the ruder ones yesterday, and that ever so polite young gentleman the day before that had given her a VERY generous tip.  
Finally the coffee was freshly boiled, and presented to Halden. He paid for the two of them, and they went and sat at a table rather far from Corinne. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks and getting warm again, and watching the snow falling down on the pedestrians and cars outside.  
"What did Cheshire tell you about me in Wonderland?" she finally asked in a low voice.  
"He told me of your progress, mostly. He told me some of the places you'd been, and what you'd done there."  
"I'd imagine I was something of a coward when I started out," she said, smiling but not really looking at him.  
"He didn't recommend you too highly," he confessed. She laughed again, still avoiding his eyes. "But he said that you got better. You stopped trying to run away from things."  
"I've always run away from things," she said quietly. "Even when... especially when my family was alive."  
"You didn't in the asylum," he pointed out. "I couldn't call attacking Emelia monthly running away from things."  
She looked up this time, amusement in her eyes. "No, I suppose not," she confessed, trying to hide a chuckle. "Besides, she deserved it, anyway." He agreed heartily, and took another sip of his coffee. "So... what exactly did he do to me? Reynald, I mean. How did he hypnotize me?"  
Halden sighed. "I'm not a hundred per cent sure," he admitted. "There was a pocket watch, and two injections. The second hand spun really fast counterclockwise, and..."  
"Wait, counterclockwise?"  
He nodded blankly. "Opposite of clockwise." She laughed, earnestly this time.  
"Oh! You mean anticlockwise!" she laughed. He chuckled.  
"Anticlockwise to you, then. I'm not British, don't forget. Anyway, then he administered the first drug, and your eyes popped open. It was rather alarming, I'll admit." He described the rest of the process, until she woke up.  
"I remember that part," she admitted. "I remembered that I really didn't like Reynald, or Emelia, but I didn't exactly remember why."  
"Do you now?"  
"Mostly," she set her cup down and thought for a moment. "I remember not liking any of the doctors, at least until I met you." Here she stopped. "Not romantically, of course," she added quickly. "I think I was glad to finally meet a doctor that I couldn't help but like," she confessed. "I was really quite determined not to, especially after that horrible Hamilton! Or Jacobson. I didn't mind Doctor Davidson, really," she added reflectively, "but he did come to be quite annoying after a short while."  
"Then I'm glad that I was able to escape your disgust." He was smiling, and she stared across the table, studying him. He looked a little older than she'd remembered him. Grey at the temples. More tired. Then she remembered what she'd seen inside the table.  
"I saw something, a few months ago. That was really what made me realise that I needed to talk to you."  
"What did you see?"  
She described the vision in the table to him, and told her what the cat inside it had said. "It said my name and to save Wonderland, and I fell back," she explained. "I think that's a bit of an understatement, actually."  
They spent about an hour just talking, not necessarily about Wonderland, but it was Halden that decided that it was probably time to get back. After all... if everyone inside had, in fact, killed each other, they may want to get back to clean up somewhat. 


	44. Chapter 44

She described the vision in the table to him, and told her what the cat inside it had said. "It said my name and to save Wonderland, and I fell back," she explained. "I think that's a bit of an understatement, actually."  
  
They spent about an hour just talking, not necessarily about Wonderland, but it was Halden that decided that it was probably time to get back. After all... if everyone inside had, in fact, killed each other, they may want to get back to clean up somewhat.  
  
They walked back to his flat, and they entered. Everyone was still there, and all seemed to have agreed not to speak a word to each other. Jean was sitting on the couch, slouching, with her legs stretched out and her arms folded across her chest, looking relatively irritated. Jessica sat on the other end, leaning on the arm and not looking at any of them. Rabbit was pacing by the wall, fidgeting with his gloves and throwing mean looks at Jean, which she promptly returned. Cheshire was on a chair, humming, and just doing everything in his power to subtly drive Jessica crazy. He was accomplishing marvellously.  
  
They looked up upon hearing the two. "Ah, you could spare the time to join us," Cheshire drawled. "And, what is the time, Rabbit?"  
  
Rabbit started. "Six twenty-three," he said quickly, looking over at Cheshire. Jean glanced at a clock. 6:23.  
  
"Crazy bugger," she muttered. He hadn't even glanced at his watch! Rabbit rolled his eyes.  
  
"It's only been an hour," Faith pointed out.  
  
"And what exactly were you up to?" Rabbit asked crossly.  
  
"Getting away from the noise," Halden answered coldly, "which you were making in spades."  
  
Rabbit stopped talking, but he did throw several angry glares in Halden's direction. "So you were avoiding the noise," Cheshire said. "Did you do anything productive in the hour that you were gone?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Cheshire?" Faith asked heatedly.  
  
"I'm talking about your sanity," he snapped at her. "Did you work on that at all?"  
  
"Ah," she said, embarrassed.  
  
"Yes, we talked about it," Halden told Cheshire wearily.  
  
"Did she make any headway?" Cheshire asked immediately.  
  
"Some," Halden shrugged, "but how much progress can you expect to make in an hour?"  
  
"Quite a bit," Cheshire said sceptically. "So you made some. How much?"  
  
"As I said. Some. Not a lot. A little bit. I'm not God, Cheshire."  
  
"How much did she remember?"  
  
THUD. Faith's foot came down onto the floor (just missing Cheshire's) as she planted herself between Cheshire and Halden. "Hello," she said to both of them acidly. "I'd love to say that I'm in the room, but you two don't seem to realise that. So. Good-bye."  
  
She turned and left, slamming the door behind her. Halden reddened, chagrined, and rather angry. Cheshire's expression didn't change, and he dismissed himself with a bow. "I'll be seeing you later, my good doctor," he said mockingly.  
  
"You're just as much to blame as me," Halden shot back.  
  
"Ah yes, but you're her trusted therapist."  
  
"And you're supposed to be her friend!"  
  
Cheshire's face hardened, and he vanished. Jean gave a cry of shock, and Jessica jumped. Rabbit smirked at them, amused.  
  
Faith stormed up to the lift and pushed the button impatiently. The doors opened surprisingly quickly, and she stepped in, hitting the ground floor button. The doors slid closed and she leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window in the back, sighing. Ooh, that had hurt. Talking with him, then immediately, he's conferring with that other man, and she just ceased to matter! She wasn't sure whether she'd been insulted more by Halden or Cheshire.  
  
The lift stopped at the next floor, and she was ever so delighted to find that it was Cheshire waiting for it. He stepped in.  
  
"Oh, it's you," she said, far from pleased.  
  
"Yes, it is." He didn't say anything for a little while. "What do you-"  
  
"Stop."  
  
"What is it?" he asked, rather startled.  
  
"I want an apology first. You can't just pretend someone doesn't exist and then expect to engage them in civilised conversation."  
  
He stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. Apologise? He didn't do that too much nowadays... apologise? Surely she was joking. She didn't seem to understand. Apologies are not a cat's strong points. "Are you certain?" he asked, in what he hoped was a tone of incredulity.  
  
"Absolutely," she said coldly. This was not turning out to be one of his better days.  
  
He was saved, at least temporarily, by the power going out. The lights flickered, and the lift groaned to a stop. They were still quite high, he realised, and they looked out the window, at the lights across the city blinking out. Now, the only light that they had was from the moon and stars, shrouding most of them in darkness. "Perhaps it will come back on shortly," he said calmly. She looked doubtful.  
  
"Then I'm certain that in between now and when the power comes back on, you can apologise."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Do you want the short list or the long?" she asked wryly.  
  
"I'm certain that there's time for the long," he replied blandly, fairly certain that she wouldn't remember much beyond three grievances.  
  
"You don't respect me or my friends, you make your contempt for others far too evident, you're rude, you're arrogant, you're frankly a know-it-all, you don't care if you're hurting feelings, you never come out and tell me anything when you're so insistent that I have some purpose for you, you-"  
  
"That's quite long enough," he said quickly. She stared at him.  
  
"Fine. But I still want an apology."  
  
He walked around for a bit. It was so hard to get those words out! Especially since he knew that she wouldn't accept one of those nice, flat, meaningless ones. He sat down, and stood up. She was staring at him in amazement, mentally adding 'excessively proud' to her list. He looked out the window, at the ceiling, at the floor, anywhere but at her. She stood there, waiting patiently. "Damned if you'll get one out of me!" he finally growled, and turned away. She glared at him.  
  
"Fine then. Don't come off your pedestal."  
  
"What makes you think I'm on a pedestal?" his voice was all irritation and impatience.  
  
"Well, you can't seem to condescend enough to offer even a simple apology to one girl... that doesn't seem terribly humble, does it?"  
  
"Believe me, I'm not a humble person."  
  
"And I'm not stupid. I could figure it out for myself."  
  
"Impressive demonstration of your mental prowess," he said dryly.  
  
"At least it's at a higher level than other people's tolerance for you." She was being amazingly calm through all this, he thought.  
  
"I don't need people's tolerance," he said dismissively.  
  
"Their respect, then." Here he froze, and looked at her totally disbelievingly. "I don't care if you can live without people's tolerance, that's fine with me. But you're the type that needs respect - I can tell that much. But these people respect you as little as you respect them. I don't know if you're from Wonderland, and I'd imagine that sure, you get a lot of it there, but here, that's not the case."  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked coldly.  
  
"Jessica hates you. I've never spoken to her, and I know that much."  
  
"There's a difference between disrespect and hate," he said dismissively.  
  
"There's no respect there, either," she said, still calm. "You don't scream at people you respect, Cheshire. Doctor Halden is really losing whatever respect you may have got out of him at first. You're overbearing and secretive. For people who are supposedly working with you to... to help me, that's not a very good combination."  
  
"It's two people, and neither of them are terribly important," he snapped.  
  
"...I don't feel respect for you, either." He froze. She went on. "You incited my curiosity when you told me that you knew what was wrong with me, and why. I still want to know, but you're not the one I want to hear it from."  
  
She sat down, staring at the floor. "If you're going to respect one of us, respect all of us, Cheshire." Now that she'd got that nice little confrontation over with, it was his turn.  
  
Cheshire thought back. Could Faith be right about the others? He thought back to Jessica. She certainly hated him, that was certain. But did it go so far as disrespect? "You don't scream at people you respect," he remembered that statement quite vividly. There was a very good chance that she was right, then. And Halden. Did Halden respect him? It didn't seem so. He thought back, to how his responses were generally shorter and colder. How he seemed more hesitant to volunteer information.  
  
He slumped down, diagonally opposite her, and they stayed like that for a while, mostly watching the ground in silence.  
  
"I'm sorry," he finally said.  
  
She looked up. His face was still pointed down, and he looked quite desolate. "I suppose that I have been a proud, arrogant boor," he said, banging an elbow into the wall behind him.  
  
She didn't say anything for a while. "I am too," she finally said.  
  
"What, for exposing me to what a berk I've been?" he asked disbelievingly.  
  
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I've let you down somehow, I think. Or I did in the past, and I never accounted myself for it."  
  
He looked over at her. "All of this stays in here," he said quietly. "I've been knocked off my 'pedestal' - for now." He didn't say more.  
  
"I didn't expect to change you for life, you know," she replied. He nodded. "But... did I let you down?"  
  
"In some ways, yes. By your former cowardice. But you made amends, Faith."  
  
"How?" she asked, not entirely convinced.  
  
"It wasn't so much by the challenges you faced, it was how you faced them. You stood up to both Maggot and the General - something that's never been done before." She looked down at her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. Another long period of silence.  
  
"Well," she presently said. "This has been a rather interesting day, hasn't it, Cat?"  
  
"Indeed - quite interesting," he replied. It took a little while to realise that her calling him Cat was not normal anymore. He looked up.  
  
"It doesn't look like the power will ever get back on, does it?" she asked. He shook his head.  
  
"I can get you out of here, though, if you'll trust me." She looked at him warily.  
  
"What d'you intend to do?"  
  
"There is a way," he said quietly. "It's perfectly safe, just very disconcerting to those who aren't used to it. It wears me out over great distances, I'll tell you that much."  
  
"What exactly is it?"  
  
"Observe," he said, and stood in the light. Then he vanished. She jumped up, terrified, and felt the space that he'd been in before. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around, ready... but with what?  
  
But Cheshire stood there. "How did you, how?" she asked, unable to really get anything coherent out.  
  
"It's merely teleportation. Few in Wonderland have it. None here." She looked at him, and he grinned. Something in the back of her mind sparked. "Will you trust me?" Nervously she nodded.  
  
He wrapped her in his arms and she felt herself growing very, very light. Before she could blink though, they were on the ground floor, in a dark alcove. She felt quite woozy, and almost fell, but he caught her and walked her over to a chair, where she sat for a few minutes. "Thanks," she said quietly. He nodded and asked,  
  
"Are you ready?" she nodded and they left. She glanced downtown. Just in the distance, she could see the point of Big Ben, and she heard its chiming nine o' clock. Had they really been in there for two and a half hours? It hadn't seemed that long, but oh well.  
  
He walked alongside her, all the way to the manor, and stopped at the gate. "I think it's time for me to depart," he said, offering a slight bow. She nodded back, not an hundred per cent in agreement, but not entirely sorry to see him go, either.  
  
"Good night," she said.  
  
"Good night." 


	45. Chapter 45

Faith turned over in bed, fighting to stay asleep. Fighting harder to wake up. She was dreaming. Scores of people, all dead in one night. A maze with mirrors that shattered randomly and had no end. A nightmarish cat; the one that had visited her the night that Emelia had humiliated her. It was telling her something, impatience in its... in his eyes mingled with something indefinable. A ghoulish green face with a huge nose, poking a syringe into her arm... a syringe... a watch ticking and ticking and pulling her in-  
  
She opened her eyes, feeling sick and completely drenched in a cold sweat. She sniffed the air, despising the sweaty smell that was only making her feel sicker.  
  
Grudgingly she pulled herself out of bed, the carpeting strangely scratchy and cold beneath her bare feet. Faith shivered, hugging herself through her t-shirt. It was a freezing, snowy winter night, and there was snow outside her window, coating the windowsill and grounds, and a grinning moon outside. Ignoring all vestiges of sanity, she walked over to the huge bow windows and opened them. Snow almost immediately began sprinkling in, but she ignored it, staring at the moon. It grinned at her. She kept a straight face, remembering the last time she had grinned back. It had vanished then.  
  
She sighed and forced her gaze away, and instead turned her attention to the grounds. There were the hedges; the tiny (currently frozen) brook that led out to a nearby stream, the trees. Then there were pathways, leading around, providing for ample exploration. She stopped when something different caught her eye. There was someone there, walking up along the row of hedges, and she peered closer. She couldn't see much, and the moonlight was deceiving to her eyes.  
  
Silently she turned and crossed to her dresser, grabbing some pyjama bottoms and pulling them on. Then she grabbed a jacket from the closet, and hurried out and crept downstairs. Making a brief stop in the kitchen, she grabbed two kitchen knives: the large chef's knife and the smaller, slimmer boning knife, which she slid into an inside pocket of her coat.  
  
She navigated through the dark house, heading for the back door. The furniture was odd and distorted in the darkness, and the occasional beam of moonlight that shone in through the windows created twisted, partial shadows. Finally, after one too many frightened jumps, she gazed into a mirror. "Keep your head, girl!" she whispered fiercely to herself. "You're not a coward!" At that moment, she saw herself change: her stance, her expression... her very senses became more alert.  
  
The final hallway to the back door was long and dark, and she crept down, listening for any signs that the intruder was inside. There were none. A small scuff from the broom closet sounded and she drew the chef's knife, ready for whatever would come out. Nothing. She opened the closet door and saw only a mouse, and closed it again in irritation. Then she opened the back door and slipped out.  
  
The man was still there, waiting patiently by the hedges. "Who are you?" she snapped, before he had the chance to speak, unconsciously bringing the chef's knife into a throwing position.  
  
"Ah, Faith," he said, as though he had just bumped into her at the park. "You should remember me."  
  
"If I could see your face, perhaps I would have better luck," she replied warily. The man's face was shrouded in shadow, though she knew that she recognised the voice. Of course! Cheshire. He had spent an hour giving her reasons not to apologise in the lift only that night.  
  
"You remember," his voice was satisfied. "And it seems that you're remembering Wonderland, as well."  
  
"Perhaps," she said coldly. "Though that doesn't explain what the hell you're doing in my backyard."  
  
"Waiting. I knew you'd notice me, sooner or later." She heaved an exasperated sigh. There was a pause from him, but he spoke again. "You need to hold that knife a little tighter, or it will slip."  
  
She stared at him, and lowered it, holding it loosely at her side.  
  
"You're acting like there's something to talk about. We've already established that there isn't," she said.  
  
"Oh, I apologise to you and you don't even give me the time of day."  
  
"It's night," she replied tersely.  
  
"But you get my point," he countered. "If you could stand to take an hour just to get me to speak two words, I'm certain that you can spare another one."  
  
"At two in the bloody morning!" she growled.  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"Naturally?!"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"What is all this nonsense?" she snapped.  
  
"Rabbit's generally the one who said that."  
  
She emitted something of a strangled roar of frustration. "What has bloody Wonderland got to do with anything?!"  
  
"You're certainly not a morning person," he said casually.  
  
"Not an insanely early-morning person," she glared at him. He grinned. "All right, fine. What do you want to talk about?" She suddenly became aware that her feet were getting awfully cold. Cheshire noticed the slightly blue tinge and scooped her up, taking her inside and ignoring her heated protests.  
  
"Now," he said, dumping her on her bed. She switched on her electric blanket and nestled her feet into the newfound heat. "In Wonderland, there were several questions that you asked of me. I know that you don't remember much, so my answers will not make much sense."  
  
"Then why bother giving them at all?" she interrupted. He frowned.  
  
"Because, Faith. This is the only time that I can absolutely guarantee that the Queen cannot listen in some way." Now it was Faith's turn to frown.  
  
"But that makes no sense. If you can get here, surely her agents can as well." He nodded.  
  
"True, they can. But they won't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It is nearly impossible for one of them to come here and blend in. A card guard is a card guard. A Boojum is a Boojum. Human weapons can kill these things, though not as effectively as your toys."  
  
"Who is Samien?" she asked abruptly. "And what exactly is your role in the scheme of things?"  
  
"You remember Samien?" he asked quietly. She nodded.  
  
"Vaguely. The name, and that he's a general."  
  
"In the Queen's army. That's an important part."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Samien is not someone you should trust in. He's decent, but all the same, he is an agent of the Queen. He is both friend and foe, enemy and ally."  
  
"And you?" Her head was beginning to spin. He was talking as though there were a war going on.  
  
"I am a general of the rebels, or I would be if we had such ranks. Everyone in Wonderland knows me, which is a blessing... and a curse still."  
  
"Because friends will offer you aid, but enemies will try to kill you."  
  
"Close enough," he shrugged.  
  
"Why is the Queen even in power at all? I mean, didn't Alice kill her?"  
  
He shook his head, looking grim. "No. She went before she was ready. After she faced the Jabberwock... well, she was lucky to be alive. But she pressed on. When she fought the Queen, she was significantly less than a match for her. It was only Elliott's hypnosis that saved her that time."  
  
"How?"  
  
"He hypnotised her as the Queen was about to deliver her final attack. She simply gave up fighting it."  
  
Faith frowned. "Could she have returned again?"  
  
He sat on the edge of her bed, looking defeated. "Yes, but what was the point? She didn't want to fight anymore; she didn't want to go back to a Wonderland where she was the only... the only..." he stopped and refused to continue.  
  
Eventually, he rose and glanced at her. "But you are remembering much."  
  
"All I remember is conflict," she said shortly. "Conflicts with Rabbit, with everyone, actually. With my feelings. With just... everything!" She got up, feeling that her feet were warm enough, and started pacing around the room.  
  
"How so with your feelings?" he asked quietly.  
  
"There was someone... I was never sure how I felt about him."  
  
"Samien?"  
  
"No," she said. "I know how I feel about him."  
  
"And how is that?"  
  
"That I know absolutely nothing about him and that he confuses me."  
  
"Interesting. Now, whom are you conflicted about?"  
  
"Yeah, right. You think I'm going to reveal details of my pathetic... schizophrenic social life to you?"  
  
"It would have made the wait in the snow a little more worthwhile."  
  
"No, Cat. 'Cause I don't want to answer any more of your questions. And I just called you Cat."  
  
"Then you are remembering?"  
  
"Um... no."  
  
He sighed. "I suppose now it's time for me to say, 'at least you're not the wreck you were a few weeks ago.'"  
  
"I think I'm more of a wreck now," she said wearily. "But I'm tired. You can go ahead and make yourself comfortable wherever you want."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "In a house this big, I must confess, finding the guest rooms seems rather difficult." Faith grimaced, but nodded politely.  
  
"Of course," she said stiffly. "The guest rooms are on this floor, just down that hall there."  
  
"But don't worry about that. I'm quite all right," he said, and turned to her. She was about to say something when he vanished. She jumped back several feet and shook her head several times, trying to convince herself that she'd imagined it, but... no. He'd got her out of the lift that way, and then she realised. That wasn't natural. It was an ability that no human should have, and she stared at the spot he'd just been.  
  
Absently she lay down in bed, pulling the knives out of her jacket pocket and placing them on a bedside table. Then she closed her eyes and dreamed. They were strange dreams, terrifying, full of card guards and Boojum and strange, familiar-yet-foreign places. Once she dreamt that she threw a jack-in-the-box and it burst into flame. Then she dreamt of firing a beautiful wand made of ice, freezing a host of card guards headed her way. Then she dreamt of throwing a knife, and it connecting with the head of a King, who had been taunting, laughing... she was like the Queen, he said, and she threw it again.  
  
Faith opened her eyes the next morning, and the first thing she saw were the two knives stuck in her ceiling. 


	46. Chapter 46

The following night she walked around her home, distracted by memories that she didn't want to keep. She'd awoken at roughly midnight by the sound of screaming, and had bolted up. Afterwards, she'd felt sick and couldn't stay in bed anymore. She'd walked around, but more and more did her own world become alien to her. She heard the screaming again, and this time, it was disturbingly familiar, and even more disturbingly close.  
  
She wandered into the family room, the one room in the house that had really been unchanged, despite the fact that it had burned the most. She picked a point and stared at it, and two little children appeared in front of her, aged nine and playing jacks. "I knew you'd win, you always beat me," the boy laughed. His sandy blond hair was worn just long enough to brush his collar. She fingered her own shortened locks, finally growing back, and wondered why she'd awoken in Rutledge's with her hair chopped off halfway through.  
  
"I get more practise, I've told you," laughed the girl, scooping up three and catching the ball. Faith stared at the two of them, and became slowly aware of the fact that she wasn't the only one. Jeremy, aged eighteen and tall, reclined on the couch, his eyes fixed on the two. Once she became aware of him, he looked up, grinning slightly.  
  
"Cute kids," he said, unmoving. The two played on, oblivious.  
  
"Yes, quite," she said. Was this normal, having conversations with your dead brother? No, it couldn't be. Jeremy was dead, he had to be. She'd seen him, seen the firemen dragging him out. She was gonna be hysterical in a few minutes, if she didn't get a hold on herself. But it was Jeremy... oh, oh lord. She reassured herself that it was just some hallucination, brought on by the crazy events of the day; that he would go away after a few minutes. Instead, he stared into her eyes, and she knew that he was real. Silently she began to hyperventilate. Oh god, she was cracking up.  
  
"Kind of remind me of someone we knew," he drawled. She laughed quietly, outwardly unbelievably calm, still not quite believing what was happening.  
  
"Yes, they do, don't they?"  
  
He looked over at them once again, then back at her. "So, how's Wonderland's rescue going?" he asked. At her blank expression, he smiled. He did that quite a bit. "Forget?" he asked. She nodded. "You were rescuing Wonderland from the White Queen, weren't you?"  
  
"No, I don't think that's quite right," she replied, frowning.  
  
"Of course not," he said gamely. "Then it must have been that old Countess. Always knew she was a troublemaker."  
  
She shook her head again. The side of his mouth quirked in a grin. He knew perfectly well who it was.  
  
"Well then, who were you rescuing Wonderland from, Faith?"  
  
"I was rescuing it from... from someone, I know that." He laughed.  
  
"Wonderland only had two real enemies, you know." His voice was light, but his eyes had become quite serious all of a sudden. "You've gotta remember who, though."  
  
"Two? No, wasn't there just one?" He paused, thinking.  
  
"Depends on how you look at it," he finally said. He was quiet. "Faith, you're part of everyone in Wonderland, you know that. That's because Wonderland IS you."  
  
She nodded. Wonderland was her. Maybe that's why she hadn't been there since the hypnosis- because she wasn't herself. Her self was lost somewhere.  
  
"Now that's settled," he said cheerfully. "Now, who're you saving it from?" He sat up a bit, crossing his legs under him. When she couldn't answer, he leaned back. "Tell me a story," he said. "Tell me a story about Wonderland, like you did eight years ago. We're eighteen now; did you notice?"  
  
She laughed and nodded, and started telling one. Once again, toward the middle it kept getting darker and more demented, and he kept urging her on. She stopped and listened to the little girl seated on the floor saying a rhyme. "One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, lock the door, five, six, throw the sticks, seven, eight..."  
  
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!!" a woman yelled. Faith saw the blade of a spear coming down at her and she threw herself aside, landing with a thud a little ways from the kids. She shook her head rapidly, and saw Jeremy, looking down at her and rather confused.  
  
"This is wrong," she moaned. "This is very wrong."  
  
The little girl had continued on with her story, not seeing Faith clumsily sitting less than four feet away. "And then the Queen of Hearts told them to cut my head off!" she said to the little boy. His eyes widened, as did Faith's.  
  
"The Queen," she whispered. "The Red Queen."  
  
Jeremy nodded, looking up at her. "And you know why you have to fight her, right?"  
  
"To heal Wonderland," she said. He nodded again, but it was more of a disappointed half nod. She remembered back to what she and Halden had talked about. "To heal Wonderland... and myself." Big nod.  
  
"Great job," he said, his grin a mile wide. She stared at him, suddenly unable to return it.  
  
"This is wrong, Jeremy. This is really wrong."  
  
"Why?" he was confused all of a sudden. "How is it wrong?"  
  
"Jeremy, you're dead," she said in a strained voice. "You died in the fire. That little boy, sitting there, he's gonna die the day before his tenth birthday. You shouldn't be here, you're dead..."  
  
Jeremy sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch. He patted the cushion beside him, and she walked over and sat down, staring moodily at the children. "Faith, in your mind, I'm still alive and as a part of you as anything else. It's like... argh, I'm not entirely sure how to explain it," he said, with a quirky, frustrated grin. "You know that I'm dead, but I don't stay that way for you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I think it has to do with a little promise I made the month before the fire. You remember? I promised you I'd always be there for you after you almost drowned."  
  
"You saved me," she remembered, thinking back to it. "Mum told us not to go too far out into the river because of the undertow. I went too far and you pulled me out."  
  
"And I promised I'd be there whenever you needed me."  
  
"And when I was in Wonderland..."  
  
"With only a pompous kitty and an erratic bunny for company..."  
  
"I remembered your promise..."  
  
"And that you needed me then."  
  
Even if she hadn't been conscious of it at the time; in truth, she'd forgot his promise about three months after Reynald had arrived in Rutledge; she probably had realised her loneliness, and had called on him.  
  
"I missed you," she said quietly. "I thought you'd forgotten."  
  
"Nah," he said, taking her hand. "I'm your big brother, born a whole two minutes ahead of you."  
  
She laughed. "Yeah, big whoop there."  
  
"You resented it at age nine."  
  
"Well of course I did," she said, laughing. "You exerted your seniority all the time."  
  
"So, whatever became of your good friend the Countess?" he asked, changing the subject. Faith frowned.  
  
"I killed her."  
  
"How?" he pretended to be surprised. He was convincing, but she knew him too well to be fooled.  
  
"It was in a fight. She was trying to eat me, I believe. She ate the Mock Turtle, Cook and Baby," she said, sadly.  
  
"And who were they?"  
  
"Well, the Mock Turtle had been around since Alice's time. Cook was this young man, great cook, but used way too much pepper for my tastes. And Baby was this little old lady that was so old and so tiny that Cook was carrying her around all of the time."  
  
"Gross! She ate an old woman?"  
  
"She would have eaten me too," Faith pointed out. "She was bonkers!"  
  
"What did she tell you?" he asked. "That really made you think?"  
  
"She told me that I wasn't ever satisfied with anything that anyone else thought up," she remembered. He nodded.  
  
"Did it make you think?" She nodded. "How?"  
  
"Well, I'd told a lot of people before then that I didn't like the way things were being done," she pointed out, "whether there was a real problem with the idea or not. I didn't do that so much afterwards."  
  
"I'd love to go over the entire roster of villains with you, but I think you can figure that out on your own." He looked around. "They really haven't changed anything here, have they?"  
  
"They changed your room," she said quietly. His head snapped over to look at her.  
  
"They did? How?"  
  
"It's not a bedroom anymore," she explained. "It's empty."  
  
"Whatever for?" he seemed to be indecisive about whether to be insulted or just very confused.  
  
"The original plan had for it to be a... a rec room, of sorts. There'd be a TV, a stereo system, a dartboard... just loads of stuff. But it didn't feel right to me. I couldn't enjoy anything in there, 'cos I knew that you weren't there to enjoy it with me."  
  
"Aw, that's rather sweet, if you think about it," he said thoughtfully. "If our situations were reversed... yeah, I'd feel wrong about doing the same for yours."  
  
If our situations were reversed... Maybe we saved the wrong one... It was a miracle anyone survived that fire. Something pushing her away from the spot where the beam would have fallen. It had missed Jeremy, too, but only just barely, and he'd been on the floor, choking too badly to speak anymore.  
  
"How did it feel," she asked softly, almost afraid to know, "when you called for me but I didn't turn back?"  
  
"Some questions are better left unanswered," he said, uncharacteristically shortly. She looked up at him, and he sighed. "I felt like you'd betrayed me, I guess. I kept trying to tell myself that you didn't hear me, and that you thought I'd escaped."  
  
"I did," she said quietly, but as she talked, she got faster, and more hysteric. "I prayed that you'd escaped, I prayed so hard, Jeremy. Then I got out and the fireman looked at me and I saw his eyes and I looked around and you didn't get out in time. I fell down... then one of them went in and came back out and he had something in his arms and I couldn't tell what it was and they all gathered round but they said it was hopeless and they couldn't wake him up..." she couldn't go on; it hurt too much to say.  
  
Jeremy sat there, staring at the fireplace. He didn't speak for a while.  
  
"I wouldn't have gone insane if you'd lived," she said, finally trusting herself to speak again. "I thought that you'd betrayed me too, and Reynald only encouraged that thought when he realised it could hurt me."  
  
"He... used me against you?" his voice quavered. She nodded, struggling to hold back tears. He shook his head, brushing away a few tears of his own, and laughed. It was shaky though, and forced. "Can't expect much less from that bastard," he said cynically. "And when I thought he couldn't possibly sink lower..."  
  
"There's no limit to just how low he'll go," she scoffed. "There'll be no rock bottom for him."  
  
He nodded. "So. How much help have dear old Kitty and Halden been?"  
  
"...Kitty?"  
  
"Off course. The Cheshire Cat. Cheshire Kitt Mara Danlor-Wend, the eighth."  
  
She thought. The man- she knew him so well, and she had met him a grand total of twice. And he knew her, too. She wondered just how well she knew him after all. Those amber eyes; they'd flashed gold in the fading light at the cemetery. Weren't they gold, anyway? The face, it was nice, but it was all wrong. His face shouldn't have even been human. She tried to place it, and thought back to the Cheshire Cat in the table. Yes. That was right, not his human face.  
  
"D'you remember?"  
  
"Halden said it would be a gradual thing, not all at once," she countered. Jeremy shook his head.  
  
"This is Wonderland, Faith. If you remember one thing about it, everything else is gonna follow. You're not cured."  
  
"But I should be," she said, frowning. He shook his head again, this time a bit more emphatically.  
  
"No- you left off halfway to sanity, Faith. You have to finish the journey in order to be a hundred per cent cured."  
  
"But I can't get there while I'm still under the drugs' influence."  
  
"Yes you can."  
  
"How?" her head snapped up, and he met her eyes calmly.  
  
"I can take you."  
  
Her hand reached for his, and stopped. "But how? You're dead."  
  
"I'm in your mind, Faith. I can take you back to yourself."  
  
"I can't," she said, in a suddenly dead voice. "It's gone." Jeremy frowned.  
  
"What d'you mean?" She stared into his face.  
  
"Don't you remember what all the adults used to tell us? How it came at seven and left at seventeen? Seventeen was when Alice lost it because she was hypnotised. Nobody's been able to go back after they turn seventeen."  
  
"That's because nobody's saved it yet."  
  
"But it's too late for me, Jeremy. I can't go back."  
  
"Yes, you can." She looked up. "I can take you there."  
  
"How? What's the point?"  
  
"Because you got so far, Faith. And the hypnosis is wearing off. The reason none of the others could get back was because they had no way to get back. I'm your bridge there, Faith." He looked earnestly into her eyes. "Trust me."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Take me there, Jeremy. Take me back to Wonderland." His usual grin broke out, and he extended his hand. She took it, and suddenly it seemed as though they were moving in fast forward. The raccoon darted in, the children didn't notice... the fire; it started burning. It encircled them, consumed them without touching them, and she clung to Jeremy's hand, watching the ceiling beam fall and nearly hit her, and she saw the brown streak shove her out of the way and vanish. Then they were back in the stone chamber, and she saw herself run up. Jeremy looked at the doors and tried one, then dashed out, slamming it as smoke poured in, thicker than the smoke from the family room. He choked and fell, and she dashed in, colliding with him and falling. He yelled for her, but it got lost in the smoke and his choking.  
  
Jeremy screamed and screamed and she wanted to join him but it stuck in her throat. The other beam crashed down, stirring up the dust in the room with the smoke. Jeremy was trying to choke out her name, but he couldn't get the sound out... Then she saw herself leave, and she felt Jeremy's betrayal. She had been a foot away from him. The fireman came in, a wet rag at his mouth, and found Jeremy, and picked the limp body up.  
  
Then they were in Rutledge's, and she watched herself responding to Doctor Levan, and then one day he didn't come back. Instead there was a new doctor that she instinctually didn't like or trust. Reynald.  
  
She saw more years pass, faster, and she saw the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit in her cell, talking. Then the doctors sped past, Hamilton Davidson Farush Jacobson and all the others. Then Halden, and suddenly she was whooshing through a void, and Wonderland was before her. 


	47. Chapter 47

The speeding didn't stop there, though. The house the village the mines the Fortress the woods... Chessland, then they sped to the Hatter's castle, through a window, down down and endless turning. They stopped safely, just outside the maze at the end. "I figured you didn't want to go back to the maze," he said, shrugging. "There's really not that much more to find there, anyway." He grinned mischievously at her. "Unless you want to find some more automatons."  
  
Recovering her thoughts - she was awfully winded and disoriented - she thought back to seeing them in the maze, and caught brief flashes of fighting them, and decided quickly against it. "...Am I armed?" she asked nervously. She looked down at herself. Once again, she was wearing the big blue sweater and the purple dress... but they were much fresher. Her boots were actually shiny again. But there was not a weapon in sight. "I mean, I don't have to find everything all over again, do I?" Jeremy shook his head.  
  
"Your weapons are... er, were, confiscated by Hatter. They can't be destroyed, so it's really not like you're in danger of losing them permanently, but... uh, it does make things harder." Faith stared at him blankly. Jeremy knew that look... and that he was going to be in trouble if he stayed longer.  
  
"You've GOT to be joking," she said quietly. He shook his head.  
  
"Nope... er, anything I can do?"  
  
"Not unless you can get them for me, though I don't think that's possible. I'll have to tough it out for myself," she sighed, resigning herself to getting rather beaten up. Then she had to try and remember who the Hatter was. He was a friend... maybe he was keeping them safe for her? No, that wasn't quite right.  
  
Jeremy patted her shoulder and stepped back. "I can try to guide you there," he said thoughtfully. "I'm not as knowledgeable as Kitty and Rabbit, but hey... I can try."  
  
"Where are they, anyway?" she asked, suddenly wondering why they hadn't been there to meet her. Jeremy chuckled, a bit embarrassed. She frowned at him suspiciously. "And what are you laughing about?"  
  
"Well, er... they don't know you're back yet." He gestured and she started after him, confused.  
  
"How? Why not?"  
  
"Well that's one of the perks of coming with me- nobody in Wonderland knows you're back yet."  
  
"Ah," she said, not sure whether to be reassured or not. They lapsed into silence, and she thought back. True, she was remembering a lot now. Reynald and his abuse, Emelia and her utter bitchiness, all the doctors, Halden... she remembered everything about her life before entering Wonderland. Now she was a little disoriented, partially because it was, in fact, real, and partially because she was trying to remember everything about it, but it was all very fuzzy. Now she was there, and the reality was horribly vivid.  
  
Then she heard the sound of movement. "Jeremy!" she hissed. He turned and pointed into a narrow, dark passage, and she followed him in there, and crouched down, not moving. An automaton wheeled past, and she found herself remembering something a bit like it... except much scarier.  
  
Jeremy stood up, relieved, and Faith sank down. "C'mon," he whispered, and they entered the main hallway again. A long, winding staircase soon came into view behind a corner.  
  
"What's up here?" she asked, curious. Jeremy glanced at it, and shrugged. "I'm going to see."  
  
"Why?" he asked, confused, as she started climbing. She shrugged.  
  
"Because... er, I don't know, actually," she admitted. "But hey, it may turn out to be something useful."  
  
"Or it may release a hundred enemies," he warned. "Hatter may not know you're here, but he's still tricky." Faith nodded, but continued on her way up. At the top, she opened the door and was greeted to an empty room. Wait; there was something in the corner. Faith wondered why it was there, and why there were small bloodstains and scorch marks on the walls. And a lever, in the 'up' position fairly high up on the left. She wanted to go in and investigate further, but Jeremy was right... "Let me check," he said, coming up behind her. He appeared quite serious, and she paused.  
  
"Wait, it's not that important," she said. He stopped and turned. "If something happens and you get trapped in there or something, I don't want it to be on my account, because I was stupid enough to fall for one of Hatter's traps," she said all this very fast.  
  
They started down the staircase until they heard Hatter's voice. There was no choice now- they had to go into the room. Faith was unarmed, and Jeremy was a ghost... not very good odds against Hatter.  
  
They jumped inside, and crouched into the left of the doorway, as far into that corner as they could go. Then Hatter began climbing the stairs, and Faith looked wildly around, trying to find a way to get... he was talking to someone; a high, cold (albeit somewhat stuffy) voice that she remembered well. She'd been on the receiving end of dire threats from it before, and she punched at the wall in frustration, with her knuckle just scraping the bottom of the lever's box. The lever... maybe it would do something that would distract the two long enough for Jeremy and her to get away... oh, she could only hope.  
  
She leapt up, grabbing the lever, and let gravity pull it down with her. The door slammed shut, and the room plummeted down. She fell up, along with the strange object in the corner, and she saw that it was a dice. "Some lift!" Jeremy yelled over to her from his place on the ground, and she nodded, and grabbed the dice, stuffing it up her sleeve. Perhaps that would keep it from rolling around too much.  
  
The lift landed, and she hit the ground... BAM. "Ohh..." she grimaced, and stood shakily.  
  
"You okay?" Jeremy asked, unperturbed. She nodded and they exited. It started back up, fairly slowly though. "Let's run," he said, following it with his eyes. She agreed- if the two followed them and caught them, there would be big trouble.  
  
They were in a long hallway now, red-carpeted and lined floor to ceiling with mirrors. They ran down, and threw open the door at the end, and gingerly shut it, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once they heard the latch click, they dashed off again. "I've been here before!" she gasped out. Jeremy cocked his head, confused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This... the Hare, the Dormouse," she whispered, walking up to the Hare. He stared up at her with glazed eyes, a bit more awake this time.  
  
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" he asked shakily.  
  
"Make up your own riddle," she scolded. "It's pathetic that you would steal one of Hatter's, all people to steal from."  
  
"Oh... how are the Red Queen and a squall unlike?" Faith thought for a moment.  
  
"Get DOWN!" Jeremy hissed, and she dropped and rolled underneath a mad child's bed. Jeremy vanished, and two people walked in. THUMP, scrape, thump. Hatter's cane. Bad leg. Good leg. Then the normal walking, almost strutting, of an expensive pair of shoes, that was completely shiny but for a small, rounded mark near the toe. Strangely, they were talking about it.  
  
"Yes... she stamped on my foot in the Scarlet Dominion... I haven't been able to get it off, not even with polish."  
  
"You may need to get another pair," Hatter cackled. She heard a disgusted grunt from the other man.  
  
"Now, why did your lift malfunction so randomly like that? You told me that only the lever could induce it to work."  
  
"It's an old lift, built before the Queen's first takeover. I haven't needed to use it for a while, and my guess is that it is in disrepair. But I will worry about that later. What news?"  
  
"Faith isn't coming back for a while," the other said smugly. "She hasn't been attending her sessions with Reynald, though, and that has me worried... what will she do should she begin seeing things?"  
  
"And that doctor that she's so very fond of?"  
  
"He's an idiot, and so are his wife and that friend of hers. We have nothing to worry about from the mortals."  
  
"And the others?"  
  
"The biggest worry is from the Cheshire Cat- apparently he had some sort of an episode with her in the lift of the doctor's apartment building. It strengthened his regard for her, and he'll be more determined than ever to get her here."  
  
"Well, isn't that reassuring?" Hatter asked dryly. "Yes, I can see exactly why you say that she won't be coming back- her 'dear love' the Cheshire Cat won't let her come into harm's way, even though Wonderland means more to him than anything.  
  
"Ah well," he said suddenly. "She cannot come back, anyway. She is eighteen. The Queen can finish her takeover without worrying about the little rat." Faith's lip curled, but Jeremy gave her a warning look. She was, after all, unarmed.  
  
"I was only giving you news," Maggot said sullenly. Maggot, yes. That was the name that she'd always heard him referred to as. She raised her eyebrows, listening. "In any case, she's at home now."  
  
There was silence, but from the way Hatter's stance changed, she assumed that he was bracing himself for a satisfied nod. But she didn't feel it very wise to make sure.  
  
"Where are her weapons?" Maggot asked suddenly. "I should like to see them."  
  
"I expected as much," Hatter said knowledgeably.  
  
"Then may I?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?" Petulant, whiny.  
  
"The last time I showed something important to guests, I was showing them to a spy as well."  
  
"I'm on your side, you know that."  
  
"Yes, I do, Maggot. That spy slipped in with us. He saw everything. He saw where the Gryphon was hidden, he saw Mantis, he saw my entire force of automatons!"  
  
"Why must you echo that infernal Samien and keep calling me that?"  
  
"It sounds a bit more dignified than your real name, Renny."  
  
Faith had to keep in a chortle at that. But it was a bit difficult. Renny??? That man? She tried to recall his face; only certain details came to her mind, and she decided that he resembled his nickname more than whatever 'Renny' meant, and she made it a point to always call him Maggot from then on. "Do you feel something?" Maggot asked suddenly. Faith froze, and Hatter raised an incredulous eyebrow.  
  
"What do you mean, 'do I feel something'? Of course I feel something." He pounded the floor with his cane. "My feet feel the floor, my skin feels my clothes, my mind feels the mechanics, of course I feel! What is this nonsense?"  
  
"Something isn't right," Maggot said agitatedly. "I can't really say why, it just doesn't!"  
  
"What are you going to do, look under the beds until you feel better?" Hatter smirked.  
  
"Maybe I will," he said, sniffing obstinately. Faith's heart beat a bit more rapidly, and she urgently tried to see if there was any avenue of escape.  
  
"Ah, Maggot. There you are." It was an awfully familiar voice... like silk, or velvet, deep, with an ominous ring to it. Beautiful, but deadly. Samien's. "I've been looking for you."  
  
"Oh, it's you," Maggot groaned. Samien chuckled, and a little shiver went up Faith's spine.  
  
"But of course. Who else would it be?"  
  
"I had hoped it would be someone I liked."  
  
"Then I suppose I should be relieved that I didn't disappoint you." There was a pause. "And you were bowing for me when I entered; I'm flattered." She realised that he must have just been bending down to check under the bed, and shrank back.  
  
"I was NOT!" Maggot said hotly. "I was just checking..." He stood fully up now, though he wasn't nearly as tall as Samien, if she remembered correctly.  
  
"Oh come off it," Samien mocked. "That's rather stereotypical."  
  
"You didn't even hear me through!" Maggot protested.  
  
"I don't need to- you had an uneasy feeling, and so to alleviate your fears, you decide to do the most clichéd assurance check ever- you peep under the bed like a five year old dwarf from the mines."  
  
"Then where would you look, genius?" Maggot asked caustically.  
  
"Don't know," he shrugged. "Wherever the mood hits me. But be assured, I wouldn't be quite so... hackneyed about it."  
  
"Oh really," Maggot said dryly. "I expect you would have just whipped the sheets off with a grandiose flair, like this," he said. She saw him rapidly move to the bed she was under and start drawing off the sheets with a flourish. Desperately she dived underneath the falling sheet, miraculously escaping notice. Then again, Jeremy had mimicked the gesture on a bed further down. They couldn't see him, she realised, and grinned in relief. They all dashed over and gathered round the sheet, not touching it.  
  
"...Is it alive?" Maggot asked uneasily. Samien scoffed.  
  
"Oh, please, Maggot. You needn't act like a coward on top of looking like one." He picked it up and tossed it carelessly back on the bed, where it once again began to move-sliding-slowly down, rolling itself up. Then it flew at Maggot, who emitted a high-pitched, girly shriek and dropped to the floor. Hatter pressed a button on his cane and a small rocket obliterated it.  
  
An automaton wheeled in, and Hatter faced it. "Get all of these sheets out of here right this minute," he said. In less than sixty seconds, all the sheets were off the beds and it was reaching for the one she was hidden under. She leapt into the mass of other sheets as it drew the sheet up and threw it on top of her. Once again, she was hidden, but where she would be going, she didn't know.  
  
It wheeled her off rapidly, and before long she was dumped into a room and abandoned. She peeked out, and discovered herself in a storage room of sorts. Interested, she poked around for a bit, but didn't find much more than mechanical parts. She paused, feeling rather in an evil disposition towards the Hatter, and switched some of the parts around. It may clue him in that she was there... or he may just think it was the work of the sheet ghost.  
  
She crept out, having no idea where she was going. After a bit of walking down a hall, she decided to turn into the first room that she came to, and tough out whatever may happen. She walked up to one of the doors, and was about to open it when she heard Samien's voice. Maybe the second door, then. She hurried past and opened the next one. There was nothing particularly exciting in there but a tea set, laid out perfectly on the table. She sniffed it cautiously, and found the aroma strangely pungent. She didn't trust it, and turned away.  
  
Footsteps sounded outside. "Yes, yes, come in here, we'll have tea," Hatter said gruffly. She couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to poison Samien. It seemed that rivalries amongst the Queen's forces were much more pronounced than even Caterpillar had thought. There was no more time to think however, and she dived underneath a big armchair seated at a place where the tea smelled strange. Hopefully, no one would be sitting there.  
  
The three came in, and Hatter seated them all at the opposite end of the table. "Now. Samien, what exactly is your grievance against me?"  
  
"I want your automatons out of my provinces. They interfere."  
  
"With what, exactly?" Maggot asked.  
  
"Would you care for the short list or the long one?" he retorted mockingly.  
  
"We'll have the short one, if you don't mind," Maggot said boredly. Samien didn't say anything for a few minutes.  
  
"They have interfered with the training of my troops, including the chess pieces. They've totally wrecked several spy operations, not only allowing the rebels to determine their identities, but to kill them as well."  
  
"That's quite the long list," Maggot sneered.  
  
"That's the short one," Samien retorted coldly.  
  
"You haven't drunk any tea," Hatter said, a crafty note to his voice.  
  
"I don't trust your tea." His voice was colder than ever before.  
  
"You wound me," Hatter protested. Samien stood.  
  
"Good. Order your automatons out of my provinces, Hatter, and you as well, Maggot. I'd hate to inform the Queen how badly they impede our progress."  
  
"My automatons are ten times stronger than your pathetic card guards, and twice as deadly!" Hatter bellowed.  
  
"Unfortunately, they're also three times as ineffectual. The rebels do have in their advantage an acute knowledge of Wonderland and its terrain. Your automatons sense movement. All they need to do is duck somewhere and the automatons will pass them by. And they're rather useless in heavily wooded areas on top of that," Samien responded. He was calm, cruel. But Faith felt anything but sympathy for Hatter.  
  
"Just get out before you force me to hurt you." Hatter's voice was quiet, shaking. She could feel the loathing in it and shuddered.  
  
"If you try, I'll have your head," Samien growled. "Whether the Queen likes it or not." And then he left.  
  
"Neanderthal!" Hatter yelled after him.  
  
"Loose screw," he replied tartly, and vanished.  
  
"So Faith is still on Earth," Maggot said loudly, drawing Hatter's-and Faith's-attention. "We can still do quite a bit of damage before she gets back. I have a plan."  
  
"What on earth makes you think she can get back here? I already told you that she couldn't."  
  
"The Cheshire Cat is working non-stop to find a way. I fear that he may discover one. And even if he doesn't, it would still get us a very high card in our hand. If he does, and she is able to return, she will be returning to chaos, and a thoroughly friendless realm."  
  
"Oh?" Hatter turned away from the door and sat down.  
  
"Since Faith left, I have discovered several weak points in the Pale Realm. The chess pieces, as we all well know, have been nothing short of thorns in our sides. But they have made the mistake of keeping mainly the healers and the children closer to the centre- they can fight, but it would be no great challenge for a large force to break through."  
  
"So what do you propose?" Hatter was very interested.  
  
"I propose a joint diversion," he explained. "I will be ordering whatever chess pieces are in my province to attack them where they're moderately strong- on the north side. Then, when they have called more of their pieces to battle, your automatons can slip through from the southeast towards the centre of the city... wreaking havoc as you go." Faith shuddered, thinking how bad it would be if the white pieces were wiped out.  
  
"Faith killed the King," Hatter pointed out. "The red pieces were totally loyal to him. Now their loyalty runs more toward Samien than us."  
  
Maggot nodded thoughtfully. "If we can promise them a large victory on our side, perhaps they will like it better." Hatter nodded.  
  
"A good plan. The white pieces won't suspect?"  
  
"No. The red pieces have grouped together several times before. Odds are, they'll think it's one of those times again."  
  
"Excellent!" Hatter was quite enthusiastic. "And when shall we do this? Sometime when Samien isn't in that particular province," he said disgustedly.  
  
"Of course," he said. "It will be a while, but it will give us time to mobilize our forces, and me time to convince the reds."  
  
"When do you have planned?"  
  
"Ten days from now."  
  
Hatter looked at his watch. "One forty-six in the morning," he announced. Faith found that very convenient.  
  
"I know," Maggot said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. "Good." 


	48. Chapter 48

Faith ran down a corridor. She was getting close to her weapons; she could feel it. She rounded the corner and skidded to a halt- two automatons guarded them, one of which was the final superautomaton. She froze, and the regular automaton rolled towards her, grabbing at her but she twisted away and dived at the first weapon she could get to- her old knife.  
  
A thrill passed through her as she picked it up, as if she had just been reunited with an old friend, and she threw it, hard at the incoming automaton. It created a sizeable hole and the automaton flew back several feet, but kept coming. The knife reappeared in her hand and she threw it again, this time at the attacking superautomaton. There was a trick to beating that one...  
  
The regular automaton rolled over to her once again, and she turned and grabbed the jacks and shoved them through the hole, and threw the ball at the ground. It started bouncing and the jacks started banging around inside. The automaton started to short-circuit, and she reached behind her, finding the ice wand.  
  
The superautomaton advanced, blades spinning, fire bursting and every conceivable weapon at the ready. She backed up and fired at the spinning joints, freezing them at least temporarily, and grabbed a few more weapons before darting back into the open. She'd grabbed the demon dice, it turned out, and she remembered the other one in her sleeve. She rolled the two, and the lightning-happy demon shot out. It saw the automaton and she could swear that she heard a very annoyed groan. It didn't appear to have forgotten the last time it fought one of these things, and it was NOT a happy camper.  
  
But it did its best and managed to do some good damage before it tired and retreated, but when it did, Faith had the mallet ready. CRAAACK! As she swung, it swung its club, and both fell back under the impact. Then it advanced again. Faith rolled to avoid fire shooting from its jets and then it grabbed her by the waist and threw her, and she crashed against the wall. Her head snapped back, banging against the wall, and she glared up at it, mentally promising to completely destroy it.  
  
It attacked again, but she rolled out of the way, grabbing the stick of the eye scythe. Great, she thought, irritated, and as it advanced she threw it like a javelin. It crashed through the superautomaton's eye, and it started going bonkers. That was the key, she realised. Breaking the eye. She grabbed her knife and threw it at the neck joint, which severed. The head clattered to the floor and the body followed soon after.  
  
Hastily she made sure that nobody was coming, and grabbed the rest of her weapons, strapping them on. How had Rabbit done it? Oh, yeah... over, under, over again, a strange green shell that her jacks and die fit in very nicely, and she slipped the knife into the makeshift belt. Jeremy appeared. "Nice," he said, noticing the bits of automaton lying about.  
  
"Thanks," she said calmly. "I have to find any rebels that may be here."  
  
"Umm," he said. "I don't know where that would be," he confessed. Then he brightened. "But I did find something else. Follow me," and took off. She followed, intrigued. "This is the control room," he announced. "It's how Hatter notices everything." Faith quickly found the area where her weapons had previously been.  
  
"I need to find a way to delete this," she said, gesturing to it. He followed her gaze and nodded. "There are knobs," he said. "You can turn that one back a couple of days and hope that he doesn't notice that it's the wrong date."  
  
"That's probably my best chance," she said, and fiddled with it for a minute. "Here we go," she said, smiling. It had been turned back a week. "That was the last time Hatter went down this corridor."  
  
"Good thinking," he said, grinning. Faith grinned at him, but then saw a screen past him. "Jeremy, where is that being taken from?" she asked. He glanced at it and did a double take.  
  
"I don't know," he said, sounding amazed. "I'll zoom around and see."  
  
He left, and she stared. A gryphon lay on the ground, in chains. "It's the gryphon that Cat was talking about... Jeremy, find him. Find him quick."  
  
"Found him," he said triumphantly. "Follow me - it's kind've a long way." She spun the dial backwards as she ran out.  
  
They ran, avoiding automatons when they could, with her fighting them when she had to. She preferred speed to pulverisation right then, at any rate.  
  
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" she finally asked. "This is familiar, and recent."  
  
"It's not the same, trust me," he grinned. He started walking, but she froze. "What's the matter?"  
  
"That," she said, pointing with her knife. It was a spider, with a china doll face, and she backed up slightly. "Don't get close to it." At that moment it jumped at her and she threw her knife at it, plastering it to the wall.  
  
"We're getting to Hatter's 'mental ward', so to speak," Jeremy explained. "There's tons of those about, one in each room. They keep the mad kids quiet."  
  
"I'll bet," she murmured. "They're horrible." Faith took out the ice wand and they ran down the hall, killing the spiders as they went along. Sometimes they would be lurking behind the archways that were about thirty feet apart, startling the two. Once or twice the blanketing ice hit Jeremy, and it always caused a pang to see it go through him. She eventually took out the knife. It was slower, but far more accurate. He led her up a flight of stairs and vanished as she reached the door and threw it open.  
  
Gryphon winced as the light hit his eyes, which had become quite adjusted to the dark. He squinted, trying to see more than just a blurry silhouette. Soon the outline became clearer, and he saw that it was a diminutive girl with shoulder-length hair and a knife in her left hand. Her stance was that of one who was just returning to the habit of being on constant alert for enemies; still a bit nervous, but prepared, and she walked lightly as she stepped forwards.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked. His voice had a groggy, metallic sound that came from disuse; he hadn't spoken a word since he'd got wind that Faith had left Wonderland.  
  
"I'm Faith. I've come here to help you, and get your help." The voice was soft but strong.  
  
"Faith had long hair... but she was left-handed, as you are."  
  
"My hair was cut in a fight against an automaton. Is there any way I can prove myself?"  
  
"Wait until my eyes have adjusted and show me your palm," he said suspiciously. She stood back. This was not the Faith that the Cheshire Cat had described... afraid to come to Wonderland, weepy, basically a wreck. He mentioned this, and she started.  
  
"I've changed," she said shortly. "What did Cat tell you of me?"  
  
"That you were something of a wreck. But he did mention your getting stronger, provided you are as you say."  
  
"I am as I said," she replied impatiently. "Are your eyes adjusted? I'm in a bit of a hurry."  
  
"If you are as you say, why haven't you untied me?"  
  
"Oh..." she groaned, embarrassed. "Sorry about that, I'm still a bit woozy. I only just got back here some hours ago." He nodded and she walked forward and began cutting his bonds. "Were you losing hope?"  
  
"I'd just about lost it, before you came in," he told her sincerely. She nodded.  
  
"I find that's usually the case. Then it's a bit of work convincing them that I'm not as pathetic as I was. So... when was the last time you spoke to Cat?"  
  
"You had just entered the woods," he remembered. She seemed surprised.  
  
"That was quite a while ago," she said disbelievingly. "Had I fought the Countess yet?" He nodded.  
  
"Then Cheshire couldn't come anymore."  
  
"I'd expect it got too dangerous for him," she said bitterly.  
  
"You don't know what he's been through. For Wonderland, or for you." She sighed.  
  
"That's just the thing, Gryphon. I don't expect that he needs to do half of what he's probably doing. This is my fight, not his. It's my sanity."  
  
He nodded slowly. "This is true," he said. "But Wonderland is everything to him. He couldn't survive sitting around and letting another do everything." He stood. "You must allow him to assist you somehow." Faith stopped, thinking.  
  
"I would," she said slowly. "But there are two problems with that. The first, he won't tell me exactly how he's trying to help me. Secondly, he doesn't know I'm here- only you do. And I think it's safer for me that way."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"If nobody on our side knows, nobody on the Queen's side knows. Therefore, nobody's watching out for me."  
  
"But we know who the traitor is," Gryphon protested. "We know that Hatter betrayed us."  
  
"I'm not talking about Hatter," Faith scoffed. "I'm talking about the one that not even you know about, it seems like."  
  
"Then please, enlighten me," Gryphon snapped.  
  
"I don't know who it is," she glared, then calmed herself. "But how else can you explain how they know where to attack the white pieces?"  
  
"The white pieces have fallen?" Gryphon gasped. Faith shook her head.  
  
"No, but they probably will in ten days unless you listen carefully to me and pass on the information to them."  
  
She proceeded to relate all that Maggot had told Hatter. "So can you help me or not?" she asked. "Because if you won't, I'll have to tell them myself, and I've no idea how to get out of this place."  
  
"I will help," he promised immediately. "How can you beat automatons?"  
  
"Electricity helps," she said. "But just beating them up is equally good."  
  
He nodded. "Excellent. I will rally the rest of the rebels for an offensive on her forces as well."  
  
"Don't press your luck; it's still supposed to be a secret that I'm here," she warned. "Unless the sight of you being back is enough for most of them."  
  
"Perhaps," he shrugged and stretched liberally. "Augh, it's good to be unchained."  
  
"Has it been awhile?" she asked, unsure.  
  
"Almost a year," he said, stretching his hind legs. "Did you expect Hatter to let me out for a brief flight every now and then?"  
  
"You're sounding like Cat," she said disgustedly. "All sarcasm."  
  
"My apologies," he said politely. He didn't offer any excuses, but after two hours extracting one from Cheshire, just that was fine.  
  
"You're forgiven," she smiled.  
  
He nodded. "Come," he said, bowing low. "Get on my back, and I will take you to the next stage."  
  
"But... didn't you need to see my palm?" she asked. He smiled at her.  
  
"No. I believe you." She was very touched by this.  
  
"What am I to do?" she asked, climbing on gingerly, minding the wings.  
  
"You must face Hatter and destroy him," he said calmly. "I will take you to him."  
  
"Erm... what if he destroys me?"  
  
"...That won't happen." He said it quickly, though not a hundred per cent positively.  
  
"I thank you for your conviction," she said wryly, temporarily forgetting her previous efforts to convince herself the same thing, and with similar results.  
  
Oh well... it seemed that she would be facing Hatter soon. She vaguely wondered how hard it would be to face off against her old friend. It would be a difficult fight either way; it seemed to be a general rule that the foes only got harder as she went along. Why couldn't she be surprised with an easy foe every now and then? She imagined what her fight against Maggot would be like. He didn't like getting his hands dirty, but she expected that if push came to shove, he could be a formidable foe. And Samien. That was going to be a tough one. She didn't know how strong he was; but he certainly seemed it.  
  
Gryphon flew down, landing on a bridge, and she found them in front of a huge set of gates barring the way to an arena. She hopped off and tried opening them. "They're locked," she said, frustrated. "It seems I have to take the long way."  
  
"Oh?" Gryphon pantomimed springing over, and she grinned.  
  
"Yeah, that'd be perfect. Only, after I beat him (presuming I do), how am I to get out?" He nodded, thinking. "You're going to be gone, alerting the Pale Royals," she said pointedly. "I need to find a way to get out, and the opposite gates are locked as well."  
  
"You're looking for a fairly large key," he said, inspecting the lock. "Not a typical shape, either. It will be shaped like a gear, or a cog." He gestured to the tower across the bridge. "That tower." She nodded.  
  
"Right," she said, and trotted inside. "You get going." He nodded, and flew off. She felt rather alone suddenly. It was rather isolating to be in a land where only three people know of your coming... even more so when one took into account that one of which only she could see. 


	49. Chapter 49

She walked around for a bit, until she heard a strange whirring sound. She turned, and saw a peculiar machine flying towards her. She grabbed her knife and threw it, but it glanced harmlessly off the hard shell. She stared at it blankly, until it started shooting little circular saws at her, and she dived with a strangled shriek.  
  
"Jeremy!! Where the hell are you?!"  
  
"Uh... how can I help?" he asked, staring at the thing.  
  
"Distract it while I figure out how to kill the damn thing!" she yelled, evading more saws and climbing up onto a pedestal that housed a bust of Hatter.  
  
"Oh yeah. He's dead, he can't feel it," Jeremy said grouchily, and jumped in front of it. "Hey, you! Get your poky little saws AWAY from my sister!" It started chasing him around, and she watched it, looking for some type of weakness.  
  
There seemed to be a small crack just behind its 'eye', and she grabbed her jacks. For this type of thing, she needed something that would enable her to aim. She directed her will to where she wanted them to go, and threw them.  
  
They headed straight for it, and succeeded in creating a gaping hole. "Awesome!" Jeremy yelled, diving to his left to avoid the saws. "Kill it again!"  
  
"But it's not dead yet!" she yelled back.  
  
"Then CHANGE that!" he yelled, jumping backwards. She nodded and took out the ice wand.  
  
"Jeremy! Get it close this way!" He jumped towards her and the machine followed, rather slowly. She fired at it, and it shorted out as the ice hit its gears. It crashed to the floor, and Jeremy climbed up and sat. Faith dropped into a sitting position as well, and they stared at the ruins of the nasty little machine. "That was a bit close," she said. He nodded. "Got any idea where that key would be? It'll be shaped like a gear about this big," she said, holding her hands about six inches apart.  
  
He jumped down and rifled around inside the machine. "Nope, these are all too small," he said calmly. "Shall I zoom around again?"  
  
She shook her head. "You're tired. Go ahead and retreat for a bit. It shouldn't be too difficult, anyway. Gryphon said that it would be in this tower."  
  
He nodded and vanished.  
  
Faith started climbing the staircase, watching for any more small, flying machines. That first one was probably a fluke; Hatter seemed too careful to allow his machines to be cracked like that. She sighed and came to the first doorway and opened it. It was dark inside the room, and she closed the door as she looked for a light. She took out the jackbomb, opened the door, and tossed it in. Once it reappeared in her hand, she searched for a stick of some sort. Relieved as Cat would be to discover her back in Wonderland, she doubted that he would appreciate her using a piece of the eye scythe as a torch.  
  
She poked around, and finally grabbed the knife and hacked away at the thin wooden banister, until the end of it came off, then checked to see if she still had any of the card guards' rags. She was lucky in that aspect, and she doused it in the very remainder of that alcoholic drink, and tossed the jackbomb some ways away and held the stick up to it. It caught easily, owing to the alcohol, no doubt, and she walked into the room.  
  
It seemed rather a trophy room, filled with the heads of various successful experiments, and she gagged. So many heads... she saw Ray and the other little dwarf she'd met in the maze, and moaned. Their blank faces stared sightlessly ahead of them, their mouths open and slightly askew. She shuddered and turned away, deciding that the key was definitely NOT in there. Then she saw it, at the far end. Hatter probably had to walk in here every time to get it... which was probably the point, she realised. To get to it, she had to pass probably every single head. As she got nearer, she saw a head that seemed a bit... Ogod, and she threw herself back. Del...  
  
She buried her head in her knees, horrified and trying to clear out her mind... Del's face still lingered in her head, though, now alive, now dead, now alive again.  
  
She shivered and stood, making her way to the key as quickly as she could, determined not to look left or right. God, what a sicko he'd become... She grabbed the key and rushed out, flying down the stairs, and out into the fresh air, where she promptly retched over the side of the bridge. Then she heard a strangled, disgusted, masculine-yet-girly scream, and realised that she had just thrown up all over Maggot some twenty-thirty feet down.  
  
She couldn't help but chuckle at that, disgusting as it was, and she wiped her mouth and spit, hoping to clear her mouth of the bad taste. "Ulgh..." she grimaced, as that strategy helped, but didn't entirely work.  
  
"Who did this to me?! Some trespasser, no doubt!" Maggot yelled. As Faith didn't want him to be the next one to know that he was in Wonderland, she ran across the bridge and shoved the key in the hole and turned it. The gate clanked open and she dashed inside, grabbing the key, which came out the other side. There was a lever next to it, in the 'up' position, and she jumped up, pulling it down. The gate clanked closed just as Maggot reached it, and she pressed herself into an alcove. "Hatter! Is this your idea of a JOKE?!" he yelled, left eye twitching. Faith smirked, rather amused at seeing him so irate.  
  
"Yes, dear Maggot?" Hatter asked sarcastically, coming out from the tower. Faith's legs buckled, realising that they had been in the same building.  
  
"Did you throw something on me?!"  
  
"Of course not. I've been in the tower, examining my latest creation. Now, why don't you leave and clean up, and return my key to me?"  
  
"I don't have your bloody key," Maggot snarled. "Someone is in your arena!"  
  
Hatter glared, the rage in his face incomparable to that in his eyes. "Nobody could have entered without my knowing," he hissed. "You're lying."  
  
"I am not! I came up here to see who had done this to me and the gate closed just as I reached it!"  
  
Hatter growled. "Leave us," he said. "I will deal with the intruder."  
  
"How, the gate is locked!"  
  
"I am not the master of this place for nothing," Hatter snapped. Maggot nodded slowly, and at a glare from Hatter, departed to go clean himself up.  
  
Hatter turned to the gates. "Open," he snapped, and they obeyed. He stalked in, moving quickly despite his limp, hunting for the intruder. Faith pressed herself into the shadows, more than a little nervous. Frankly speaking, she was terrified.  
  
Hatter turned, a bit confused, and upon finding no one at cursory glance, decided to give Maggot the benefit of the doubt by sending in some of the automatons to check.  
  
Faith saw him leaving and jumped out. "Hatter!" she called. Her voice cracked. He turned to face her.  
  
"Faith," he said, stunned. "You've returned..."  
  
"Yes; neither your little serum nor Reynald's hypnosis could keep me out forever." She didn't feel half as brave as she was pretending to be. He nodded.  
  
"I didn't expect them to - I'd more expected it to be your age. But I'll confess, you're much stronger... and cleverer than the Queen gives you credit for."  
  
"Or you give me credit for," she snapped.  
  
"Of course. Won't you join me for a cup of tea? We can talk then... and the inevitable afterwards. You're just in time, after all." Faith nodded.  
  
"Why not?" she shrugged. "Not many of my enemies have ever given me the opportunity to speak a few words with them."  
  
He courteously took her arm and guided her to the tower at the opposite end of the arena. They climbed the stairs to the top, not speaking a word to each other, and Hatter opened the door to the tearoom, giving her the left end of the table. Faith glanced out of the large window. The view was amazingly vast, and equally depressing. The sky was a deep purple-grey, and the deep red sun shone through where black clouds parted, creating deep orange-red beams that gave an unnatural tone to the diseased-looking world below. A walking teakettle served the two, and Faith sniffed hers carefully before tasting it. It was hot, but not acidic.  
  
"Well. How did you spend your six months in exile?" Hatter asked politely.  
  
"Quite well, thanks," she replied civilly. Each regarded the other, never taking their eyes away. Watching for sudden, untrustworthy movement.  
  
"More sugar in your tea, my dear?"  
  
"Yes, thanks." The sugar bowl hopped over, dropping two lumps in. "What have you been doing lately?" she asked him. Besides trying to get everyone I love killed, she mentally added.  
  
"Merely a few experiments," he said with a smirk. "I have created the most accurate clock in Wonderland. I'm quite proud of it."  
  
"Oh really? I shall have to look at it sometime."  
  
"It is located in the arena," he said, and they were silent for a time, thinking of what would happen once they returned. "Well, I trust that your many friends are pleased that you're back?" Faith uncomfortably stirred her tea, unable to meet his keen stare.  
  
"I have few friends here," she said finally. Hatter looked up.  
  
"Count me to be among them. Accurately. Oh, pardon. Honestly, I mean." Faith raised an eyebrow. He went on. "Oh, sorry again, I quite forgot. You and the truth are not on speaking terms."  
  
"That stung," she said bitterly. "But you aren't the first to use that argument."  
  
"And I won't be the last. Do you fear that?"  
  
"I've given up on fear," she said shortly. "It's done nothing for me."  
  
"A lie, as per usual," he said. "There is much that you fear, simply have not remembered. You dread a return stay in the asylum. You fear killing me."  
  
"Why would I possibly fear that?" she asked coldly.  
  
"Many have warned you that I am an enemy, but deep down, you still think of me as a friend. You remember the fun we all had in your days of innocence and wish them to return. You pretend that they will."  
  
"I do not," she said.  
  
"You do." He leaned forward. "You fear failure, and all it entails. Letting down your friends. The Cheshire Cat's head hung on a wall."  
  
"No," she said quickly. "Cat's smart, he wouldn't let that happen to himself."  
  
"Rabbit's then." Faith froze.  
  
"You won't catch either of them," she whispered.  
  
"Ask them how it ended 200 years ago," he said quietly. "They will tell you of how their speed and craftiness failed."  
  
"No they won't," she muttered. Hatter grinned, put down his watch, and leisurely sipped his tea.  
  
"And why not? They don't want to dishearten you, perchance? No, that cannot possibly be the case. They don't want to tell you of their weakness, and expose you to the truth. Allow me then, as they won't bestow on you that courtesy." Faith covered her ears, but his voice was hypnotic. Slowly they fell back to her sides. "Rabbit abandoned stealth for speed - the very thing that you said would save him was his downfall. He ran across a clearing and wound up on the bottom of someone's shoe... what did you think he meant when he told you that the results 'were very messy'?"  
  
"No..." she groaned. "You could hear us?"  
  
"Every word, until you threw the snark up my trousers," he said, his voice pained. She looked up abruptly.  
  
"You tried to kill us," she hissed. He nodded.  
  
"Mostly Rabbit; a nice little memento. But you were a target."  
  
"Then how can you dare call yourself my friend?" she asked furiously, standing and kicking back her chair.  
  
"Now my dear, do calm down. Sit." She sat but drew her knife, holding it at the ready underneath the table. "And the Cheshire Cat. He made the mistake of sitting in clear view of the Queen's throne room. A huge tactical error on his part. His craftiness... or lack thereof, in that instance, was what kicked his bucket." Faith's head sunk into her hand. "Stop deluding yourself that your friends are infallible," he said softly. Faith was silent, thinking of nothing to say in return. Satisfied, he tinkered with his watch.  
  
"It is almost precise," he said, holding it up. "But it is still not accurate enough..."  
  
"You're obsessed," she said disgustedly.  
  
"Ah, but who's fault is it that I got that way? Are you going to blame everyone but yourself again?"  
  
Faith was silent again. "You're horrible," she said. Her voice broke.  
  
"No, I'm not," he said. "I'm mad."  
  
"You're sick!" she burst out. "You walk through that... that trophy room of heads every day to get in here, you experiment on these people and murder them when they're of no more use; you're disgusting!"  
  
He held up his cup. "Cheers," he said mildly. She stared at him, unmoving.  
  
"No," she said icily. "There's absolutely nothing to cheer about."  
  
"Quite right," he agreed. "Wonderland is not completed, and my clocks are not as precise as they should be."  
  
"Perhaps you could tinker with mine," she said, removing a watch and sliding it across the table. "I'm afraid it's almost forty seconds off." He recoiled and stared at her.  
  
"That's not very nice," he said, glancing down at it. "Giving a body an inaccurate watch."  
  
"The entire point is to see if you can fix it," she said dryly. He looked up at her.  
  
"Oh."  
  
He tinkered with it for a few minutes, and slid it back to her. She held it up to her ear, hearing the now-rhythmic tick, tick, tick. She looked at the face and compared the time on it with the teakettle's. They matched perfectly.  
  
"Impressive," she said.  
  
"Not terribly," he said dismissively. "It took me many hours to program the one in the arena."  
  
"I can imagine, if it's the most accurate clock in Wonderland as you said." He smiled, pleased.  
  
"You remembered."  
  
"You only said a moment ago."  
  
"Ah, but the unassisted human mind with a good memory is terribly hard to find these days. More tea?"  
  
"Just a bit," she said. The teakettle walked over and refilled her cup halfway.  
  
"Cheers," he said, holding his cup up.  
  
"To what?"  
  
"To Wonderland, and whatever may befall it in the future. Do you have something you'd care to add?"  
  
"No," she said, and held her cup up.  
  
Hatter raised his. "My dear..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I must confess, you do know the reason you're here?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Then you do know that I must kill you." There was a dark light in his eyes.  
  
"You can try," she said, gripping her knife.  
  
"I intend to," he said, and pulled a lever by his chair. Faith heard the sound of a mechanized saw and instinctively dived out of her chair. It was in very neat halves a moment later, and she jumped up. A circular saw had just sunk out of sight through a narrow gap in the floor.  
  
Her teacup wobbled precariously on the edge of the table and fell, landing with the sharp clink of breaking china. Hatter looked over at her.  
  
"You realise what we must do now," he said. She nodded.  
  
"Teatime's over." 


	50. Chapter 50

The two stood in the arena, not speaking. Suddenly he moved, faster than she thought possible, and tried to strike her head with the grip on his cane. She sidestepped and lost her footing, but rolled back and leapt up. He laughed and she threw the knife but he swatted it away. "Is that the best you have, my dear?" She leapt closer, evading his swinging cane and slashed at him, but his other hand suddenly whipped at her from her right and smacked her away.  
  
She fell and rolled, trying to evade his cane, which he was using like a sledgehammer. Thwack! Thwack! Its head crashed onto the ground and she jumped up and caught hold of it as he was raising it. She was propelled over his head and landed relatively safely behind him, crouching. Then she turned and threw her knife at him again. Again it was swatted away.  
  
"You honestly think you can beat me?" he asked, cackling maniacally. "You're wrong there. Quite wrong."  
  
"Like hell I can't," she snarled and took out her ice wand. He threw a teacup at her and she formed a wall of ice in front of her. It crashed against the wall and acidic tea splashed around. Some of it arched over the wall, splashing around her and eroding tiny canyons in the ground and eating through the ice. She jumped away from the splashes and threw the knife yet again. He moved, surprisingly quickly and was on her side of the wall in no time.  
  
"Your knife is no use against me," he mocked. "I can easily figure out exactly where it is meant to hit and hence, use my cane to block it."  
  
She gnashed her teeth in frustration and dived to the other side of the wall as he shot a missile at her. "You're not going to survive this," she warned him, hands searching for another weapon.  
  
"Then why is it that I'm on the offensive?" he asked, grinning. She yelled and threw the two dice. A new demon came out this time, spitting fire. It attacked Hatter, and Faith ran back, trying to figure out how to beat him.  
  
Hatter's clock struck and Hatter looked up. "Sorry dear girl. It's teatime." And vanished. But she wasn't alone with the demon, fortunately. Two automatons appeared and started attacking, and she dived, trying to evade their attacks. It was Hatter she wanted, not them. Bothering with them would be a waste of energy.  
  
She suddenly looked over at a mirror Hatter had mounted in an odd place and threw her knife at it. It shattered, as did the machine behind it.  
  
"Your knife is no good," his voice rang in her head.  
  
The clock chimed again and the automatons collapsed suddenly. Before she could react it struck again, and Hatter dropped from the clock, hitting a button on his cane. Rockets shot out and landed around her. Faith was caught in the middle, and the ground beneath her rocked from the force of the explosions. She fell and he aimed at her and fired again.  
  
Using a last-ditch effort, she threw herself out of the way. The jacks' ball flew out from inside her sleeve, and even as she reached for it, the jacks followed, zooming around wildly. They flew at Hatter, pummelling him from every angle, every possible direction and he screamed in horror. "Nasty little cheat!" he yelled. "Now you're going to kill me, just as you did everyone else dear to you!"  
  
She didn't call off the jacks for a little while, but eventually they zoomed back of their own accord. Hatter staggered back. "Just like everyone you ever loved," he hissed. "You're going to be the death of your friends; the Cheshire Cat, the Rabbit... me. You were the death of Del, of your family."  
  
"Try something new, it's everything I've heard before," she snapped.  
  
He launched another teacup at her. "Destroy me, Faith, and you destroy the order that you have worked so hard to create. The ordered world that means so much to you will be nothing if I die." Then he vanished once again. Faith whirled around and looked at the clock. Six o'clock, on the dot. That was fast... she hadn't fought him all that long. Then she saw that it was going faster than usual, six times as fast. He probably anticipated on this being a fast fight, she realised. Well... she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.  
  
"Six will end early today, Hatter." A rocket whistled past her ear and she dodged as an automaton rolled quickly towards her. She ran to the other end and waited, crouched in the alcove, until Hatter returned.  
  
She looked up and through a window just above the giant clock, she saw him, sipping his tea leisurely and checking his wounds. "Coward," she muttered.  
  
"Destroy me, and you destroy the order that you have worked so hard to create..." she shook her head, trying to force that thought out. But she thought back to how routine she had made sure her life had become. Always went to bed at a certain time, stayed up until a certain time, woke up at a certain time. She had a schedule, as well. If there was anything to do on that day, it would be written inside of it. It would be followed carefully. If something was unexpected or unplanned, she bore it, but generally afterwards there would be a panic attack of some sort.  
  
Her visit with Halden had been spontaneous, impromptu. And it had turned her world upside-down. Suddenly she had missed her set dinnertime, her bedtime... and she'd been up most of the night in a daze, with nightmares. No. She needed order, and if Hatter was speaking the truth... she couldn't stand a world without order. It had to be there, plain and simple.  
  
But Hatter was evil, she reasoned with herself. There could be no truce. If he didn't die, she did, and living as a vegetable the rest of her life would be worse than living day to day spontaneously. And maybe, maybe if he was evil, the order in her life was evil too. She looked up at him again, and glared. She would beat him.  
  
Hatter reappeared and saw her, lost in her musings, and smiled. Now was the time. Now was the time to wipe Faith out once and for all, and to make sure that his world stayed perfectly ordered. She had caught him by surprise with the jacks, they had been so unpredictable and so... disordered. He shuddered slightly. Such a thing was not supposed to happen.  
  
He readied his rockets, taking careful aim. Three... two...one...his watch stopped. He stared at it in disbelief and started tinkering with it, until he got it to work again. He looked up, prepared to fire, but Faith wasn't there. He looked wildly around. There she was, wandering aimlessly at the edge. He fired and they went through her and she shattered, and he froze, seeing the mirror break.  
  
Hatter whirled around, looking for the source, and Faith leapt down at him from another alcove, shoving him to the ground, using her knife to knock away his cane. They hit the ground, harder than expected, and she somersaulted over him and landed, standing over him. He grabbed one of his teacups and threw it at her, but she jumped away, and he was left, covered in his acidic tea. He howled, and saw Faith contemplating his giant clock.  
  
"Most accurate in Wonderland," he had bragged, she remembered that. She looked over at him and coldly repeated what he'd said, but inwardly she was nervous. This would either destroy him or push him over the edge. She was willing to take that risk.  
  
She took out her knife and threw it, shattering the glass that covered it. Hatter froze. She looked at him again and took out the jacks. Now was the time. She looked up at the clock, held her breath, and let the jacks fly. He screamed, and it sounded like a wild animal, barely even human. He looked up, and his eyes were slits... and they were beyond homicidal. She read his thoughts clearly, and knew that unless she killed him, her death was likely to be very slow and painful. She'd pushed him over the edge.  
  
He stood, crouching slightly, and took up his cane, his finger firmly on the rocket-launcher button. Then it pressed down. Again and again, and Faith found herself very hard-pressed to avoid them. One exploded at her feet and she flew back twenty feet, crashing in to the wall. She groaned and tried to get up, but was too breathless for the moment.  
  
She let the jacks loose, and they pummelled him, over and over again. He broke off his attacks to bat them away frantically, screaming whenever one touched him in an unexpected place, at an undeterminable angle. When they stopped, however, he advanced on her with renewed fury and she backed up nervously. "Oh god..." she muttered, and shoved the jacks back into her sleeve. Were they hurting him at all?!  
  
Keep using new attacks. Adapt. He's totally mad now, and mad people adapt easily, she reminded herself. Reynald's case files were coming in handy after all, she thought with an ironic grin, but was soon on the run again as he lobbed teacup after teacup full of acidic tea at her. Finally she took out the ice wand and ran closer, and fired.  
  
He groaned with pain and she flew back as his cane connected with the corner of her forehead, but was up and ready soon again. Looking around in her arsenal, she saw the jackbomb. She took it out, cranked it, threw it, and waited between it and Hatter. It started, belching out flames, and Hatter walked through. "Bitch," he growled, ignoring the flames scorching him. "You destroy without feeling, without comprehending how much work went into something!"  
  
"Stop your whining!" she snapped. "It's only a damn clock."  
  
"Damn clock? No!" he roared and swung his cane at her as hard as he could. It was lucky for her that he missed. "That was my life's work!"  
  
"Even back when you thought that putting butter and jam in a clock's gears would fix it?" she asked in disbelief. Seeing him now, and recalling those memories, brought a sting. A really big, painful sting.  
  
"My new life," he hissed. "When my strength came out, when my obsession began!"  
  
"Yeah? Here's a trick that you can do," she said, evading his cane again. "Square the circle for me."  
  
"Stupid girl," he hissed. "I don't have time to pull off tricks for you. Do it yourself."  
  
"After you're dead," she shrugged. She knew it full well to be impossible. He growled and she leapt away, grabbing the dice. How much did it take to kill this thing?! She rolled it and the lightning demon came out. When it saw Hatter, it gave a shriek and flew back inside. She stared at the dice in disbelief and started yelling all sorts of curses at it, even as Hatter advanced. Finally she held it close to her face.  
  
"If you don't get the hell out here and start doing your bloody duty, I'll bless you!"  
  
It was out in a flash and fighting Hatter for all it was worth. Faith grimaced in exasperation and shook her head.  
  
Hatter was having a tough time defending himself against the weak, but unpredictable demon. But it tired rather quickly and she threw the dice against the floor in frustration at its incompetence. The fire demon shot out, and she wordlessly pointed to the Hatter. It grinned and attacked.  
  
She joined it, using the mallet. Hatter staggered back, severely weakened. 


	51. Chapter 51

Faith took out the knife and made to stab him, getting it over with quickly, but he blocked it weakly, using his cane. He looked around, eyes unfocused. She shoved him down, intending to disarm him, when his head hit the ground with a sickening crack. Then he looked up at her, focusing unsteady eyes. "Ah, Faith... you're here. But where is Hare? And Dormy?"  
  
Faith jumped back, confused. "What are you trying to pull on me now?" she hissed, suspicious, backing away. His clear, puzzled eyes looked at her.  
  
"You look quite different, Faith. So does Wonderland. I guess my memory's not what it used to be, eh? Is there any tea, by chance?"  
  
"Only acidic," she said, backing up.  
  
"Oh. But why would anyone spoil good tea like that?" He gasped as a wave of pain hit him, and uneasily, Faith moved him into a slightly less uncomfortable position.  
  
"You don't trust me," he said, looking at her. She shook her head, and the corner of his mouth cracked into a smile, even as a bit of blood dribbled out. "Don't worry, you don't need to. But... I'm free."  
  
She stared at him. "Free?"  
  
He nodded and smiled. "Two things that you must promise me to do and to answer." She paused.  
  
"I'll hear them, but I can't guarantee that I'll do what you ask."  
  
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"  
  
She groaned. "Just like you, Hatter. Riddles with no answers. What's the second?" This is really rather bizarre, she thought.  
  
"What have I done?"  
  
"Come again?" She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. He stared into her face and she realised. "Oh. Er... I think you're better off not knowing, Hatter." He shook his head.  
  
"What have I done to Wonderland?"  
  
She sighed. "Too much," she said quietly, and began explaining everything he'd done, from the kidnapping of the Gryphon to the killing of Dormy and the funhouse, the automatons... but she left out the trophy room. It was too disgusting for her to say, and she got the feeling that he'd heard enough. He groaned, and she wasn't sure if it was in pain or not. She wasn't even sure if he was really himself again, or if he was just pulling something. His next request put her doubts to rest.  
  
"Kill me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Kill me. There's too much that I've done, too much pain I've caused... too much pain I'm in." He chuckled slightly, and gagged as yet another wave of pain hit. "These wounds... they're not fatal but they hurt. What time is it?"  
  
She was about to tell him that his clock was broken, but she glanced at her watch and told him the time instead.  
  
"Hm. After you kill me, there's something else I want you to do."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ride up the pendulum of the big clock. There's something up there I want you to have." She nodded. "Now, kill me."  
  
"I can't," she whispered. "I'd cause the death of another friend, and everyone uses the death of my family against me, anyway."  
  
"Then it will be our- your secret. Because if you don't kill me," and he grabbed her hand with the knife clenched in it. "I will."  
  
Faith gasped, and felt herself start crying. "No... Hatter, you've got to live now. Hatter, I've got almost no friends here, I need you."  
  
"But Faith... think of all I've done. I cannot live with it."  
  
"Hatter, please," she pleaded. "We know that you weren't... that it wasn't you. Please, Hatter, you've got to try to live. Your wounds aren't fatal, you said that yourself. They're not."  
  
"Faith... even in Wonderland, things don't work like that... especially not now. I cannot face the others."  
  
"Please Hatter... no," Faith begged, choking on her tears.  
  
"I've decided, Faith. Please."  
  
"Then you do it," she said, drawing away. The knife clattered to the ground, and she grasped his hand. "I'm sorry Hatter, I've failed you, but I can't kill you now, you're a friend now; I can't kill you."  
  
He sighed. "Then hand me that teacup." She complied, letting go of his hand. "Turn away. Go into the clock tower." Once again she complied. And endless assortment of watches was inside, but she rode the pendulum up until she reached a room at the top of the clock tower. In a glass case, there was a watch. The case was labelled 'Dead Time Watch.' She took it, knowing somehow that Hatter meant for her to have that. On her way down, she saw a small, hidden entryway, and leapt inside. The blade of the eye scythe was there. She figured that he'd hidden it sometime after he'd gone mad.  
  
On the way back down, it fully hit her as to what she was going to see. She was going to see one of her friends; one of her former best friends, dead. She didn't think she could handle it. She imagined him, cold and clammy and dead and she sank down slowly. "No... god, no," she groaned, and started shivering. Over and over again, and she couldn't stop, she couldn't breathe... she couldn't see or hear and she started crying. She'd helped kill her friend, and she had no way to deny that. She clutched her stomach, which felt as though she'd just eaten broken glass.  
  
Several times the pendulum went up and down, up and down, and Faith stayed where she was, unable to even consider moving. Eventually she stood, and fell off (she couldn't muster the energy to jump).  
  
Hatter was dead, a broken teacup by his side. Faith shuddered and turned away, thinking of the fight... of the plea. She hadn't been in Wonderland long enough for something like that... she wasn't sure if it was a step towards sanity or a step back from it.  
  
But he was dead now, and she had to figure out what the hell to do next. She exited the arena, teetering slightly, and made her way back to the hallway with the red carpet and mirrors on the walls.  
  
She called Jeremy, but he had no idea what to do next. He suggested she get out of Hatter's castle before Maggot got back, though. Believing that to be an excellent idea, she agreed and, after about a half hour of looking, found the front doors and exited. But after that... no idea.  
  
She looked around and wandered a bit, but all she found were little men with pitchforks that kept trying to poke her bum, and she finally had enough and let the lightning demon (she seemed to get that one a lot) deal with them. But they were weak, and it was happy for that. But she was still clueless, and still feeling awfully ill, and she made her way back to the front gates.  
  
"Gryphon!" she finally yelled, hoping he could hear her. No. Five, ten, fifteen minutes and he didn't come. "Cat!"  
  
Many miles away, Cat stirred. He could swear that he heard his summons...  
  
"Cat!"  
  
He looked over, his ears perking. He was positive of it now. He vanished, elated.  
  
Faith had just about lost hope that he could hear her when he appeared and launched himself at her, pinning her to the ground. Did she imagine the warm, sandpapery tongue scraping up her cheek? "Faith!" he exclaimed, almost ecstatic, it seemed.  
  
Things had become worse since she left. The Queen's armies had been relatively low profile, but they were gathering and building in strength. They were training harder-even the clubs weren't quite so inept, though they were still everything but competent.  
  
She shuddered, thinking of how the spades, or even the hearts would be. She'd never met a heart guard, she reflected, but all accounts of them from others had been terrified.  
  
"You must face the Hatter," Cat said.  
  
"He's dead," was the reply. "He's out there, in the arena." Cat looked positively shocked.  
  
"Dead? My, my, we've been a fast one." He seemed happy, though. She sighed, remembering Hatter's last words to her... asking her to kill him. She couldn't. Did that make her a failure somehow, or had she done the right thing? Personally, she didn't believe in sin; the morality of it wasn't a huge issue. But... Hatter was dead, and it was mostly because of her. It wouldn't be a big deal if he was still evil. But he'd died good; at least she was pretty sure he had.  
  
"What is this?" she asked, holding up the watch. He inspected it delightedly. And she watched him. He was thinner than ever before, and unsteadier.  
  
"This watch can stop time... for a time, in any case. Time will move on, as will those caught in its flow... unless, of course, they are dead." He grinned at her.  
  
"What do I do now? I don't really want Maggot to find me here."  
  
Cat nodded. "Ordinarily, I would have Gryphon take you to the Land of Fire and Brimstone..."  
  
"I sent him to warn the chess pieces of a plot that Maggot and Hatter concocted for destroying them."  
  
"You HAVE been a fast one." He grinned, wider than she had thought possible. "Then I must take you."  
  
She nodded. "I'd rather not go on foot, if it's all the same to you."  
  
"On foot wasn't what I had in mind. It would be far too difficult and take much too long."  
  
"My thoughts exactly. So... where is it?"  
  
"Farther than you have come, but not as far as you need to go."  
  
She rolled her eyes and waited expectantly for him to do something. He held out his forelegs and she hugged him. Then they vanished. 


	52. Chapter 52

Maggot arrived back at Hatter's, clean and with a fresh pair of shoes. He frowned, seeing the front door cracked open. Hatter wasn't usually that careless. He rolled his eyes, thinking that perhaps his old friend was losing his touch- hence losing his usefulness. Then he glanced at his pocket watch. It was three o' clock AM, on the dot. Hatter's clock, the one he was so excited about, should be gonging. The silence alarmed him.  
  
He walked inside, and around until he saw the doorway to the control room, also open. Oh well, he decided, stepping in. Hatter didn't like it when others went in there, but it was the fastest way to find where he was. The camera for the arena was out. He didn't like that at all. Perhaps Hatter had gone to repair it. No, he was with Gryphon, apparently tormenting him. He sighed and headed that way. Then he saw little bits of machinery strewn around a small alcove with various weaponry stands.  
  
His brow furrowed. Now he was very concerned. He hurried to the room where Hatter was supposed to be, and stopped short when he found it to be empty. No Hatter. No Gryphon. For a moment, the wild thought passed through his head that Hatter had betrayed them and gone off to join the rebels, but he shook that thought out immediately. That was ludicrous.  
  
He sighed and looked around for a bit, when he saw the arena gates slightly open. He remembered the intruder and rushed down, tripping in the middle of the stairs. He ended up in Hatter's mental ward. The nightmare spiders watched him curiously as he staggered up and started hurrying along, his strides growing wider until he was positively running. His hat flew off his head and he halted to retrieve it before running again.  
  
As best he could see, the arena was empty, but then he saw the clock and skidded to a stop. Broken, mangled, not a chance in hell it would be working. It was timed about an hour after he had left, and he darted inside.  
  
There was something at the opposite end of the arena. It was long and thin and not entirely straight, and very still. Nervously, he went forward, something in the back of his mind knowing who it was. As he walked closer, his fear was realised: it was Hatter.  
  
Beaten, bloody and an absolute ruin. Dead.  
  
He approached Hatter slowly, not believing that he was dead. But he saw all the cuts... all the scorches and melted ice, and he looked upwards, venom in his eyes, which were mere slits cutting across his face.  
  
Faith. It had to be; nobody else could use those weapons. But when had she got back? He dismissed the sheet incident, convinced that it was probably nothing more than a stray Boojum or Phantasmagoria with a sense of humour. He remembered the intruder and realised that it had to have been her. She'd probably found Hatter's trophy room and the key... yes.  
  
Finally his rage boiled to the surface and he screamed, furious beyond all means. And again. She was GOING to pay.  
  
Faith and Cheshire reappeared on an outcropping of rock near a high, rocky cliff, and Faith gazed up, shading her eyes against the dying sun. "Cat, what's up there?" she asked, pointing. Jut beyond the edge of the cliff, she could make out a triangle shape that wasn't natural. Cat looked over at it.  
  
"Your former, and current residence. Faith." She turned to look at him, hearing the sudden note of urgency. "Soon you shall experience one of your fiercest fights, one of the worst creatures yet that you will have to face." She frowned, nervous.  
  
"What d'you mean, Cat?"  
  
He glared up at the house. "In there dwells the Jabberwock. The vile creature is a killer, Faith. Even his words have the potential to destroy."  
  
She looked down at him, her heart subtly beginning to beat like a snare drum. "The... the Jabberwock. Are you certain, Cat?"  
  
He looked at her and nodded. "You must find and face him. I will send Gryphon to aid you."  
  
"But... that's too dangerous for him, Cat."  
  
"And not for you? Faith, without his eye, there is no way to defeat the monster."  
  
She hesitated, shaking. "Cat, I just came back, and I s-still don't really remember what I-I've accomplished so far. Am I ready for this? A-and I just had a r-really emotional moment back there. I'm really r-rather vulnerable right now." He looked over at her and nodded.  
  
"Faith... the fact that you got here in the first place proves that you're ready. You don't need all those memories of what you managed here before; against him they're useless."  
  
She put out a hand onto a rock to support herself, and drew it back when the surface proved to be rather hot. She looked around. Fire pits and lava pits abounded, and cliffs rose high above her in almost every direction. They were surrounded by lava on three sides, but for a thin path. Cat pointed to it. "That is your road. Follow wherever it leads you."  
  
She nodded and started walking, really not in the mood to hurry. In fact, she was dreading her upcoming fight, and she tried singing to herself to lessen her fear.  
  
"S-sing us a-a song, you're the p-piano man... oh god, this isn't working," she groaned. "Don't work yourself up, Faith. Don't panic yourself before you've even reached the cliffs."  
  
But even so, she was really rather jumpy. And it was hot, so she took off her sweater, tying it around her waist. Then she saw the Boojum.  
  
"You again?" she asked, beyond annoyed, took out the ice wand, and nailed the bugger before it could get close. It screamed and erupted in flames, and she looked around for any others. She thought she saw something... not quite opaque, but not translucent. Then it rushed at her and she dropped, firing the ice wand up and scrambling up herself, nearly stepping into a lava pit, but she hurled herself away.  
  
The thing grabbed at her and chains shot out of its mouth. Faith recoiled in disgust and fired when the chains missed her by inches. She fired again, and the thing dissolved in purple smoke.  
  
She looked around again, and saw nothing, but kept the ice wand out, just in case.  
  
Eventually she got to the cliffs, and started climbing, jumping when she had to. "I-(jump)-HATE-(grunt)-this." She pulled herself up onto a rather high ledge, but sighed when she saw how much more she had to go. All the while, her house loomed in the distance. Never before had it seemed so menacing, not even when she was nine years old and watching it go up in flames. It seemed... darker, almost evil.  
  
She stopped her progress when she saw the creatures. Two of them, a few ledges up. They had two big feet, a tail, and... god, it looked like their mouths were the entire other half of their bodies. She shuddered and pressed up against the cliff, fixating on the silhouette of eight-inch-long teeth.  
  
She found the jackbomb, cranked it up and tossed it onto the ledge where they were moving around, and she heard their cries as the flames engulfed them. But they weren't dead yet, and they were mad. They started sniffing around for their attacker, and the one closest to her suddenly pounced. She wrenched the jacks out and threw them straight at its mouth, and it collapsed. She had only just got the jacks back when the other pounced at her as well, and she hurled them at it.  
  
It collapsed alongside its companion, and she used the two bodies as a stepladder to the next ledge. Her house looked remarkably close all of a sudden. There were two windows, big and arched, on the second floor, and she stared at them, not moving. They seemed to be something evil, but decidedly seductive, drawing her with the knowledge that they were hers... but repelling her with the knowledge of what was inside.  
  
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts on the house that she almost didn't see the fire snark until its tongue was clasped firmly onto her arm.  
  
Automatically her other hand went for the knife and she swiftly drew it down across the tongue, severing it. She stared at it and grimaced. "More of you?" she groaned, and threw her knife at it. It connected and the little monster shrieked and died.  
  
"Still weak," she said. At least there was some relief to be found in this wretched place. 


	53. Chapter 53

She trudged up to the top of the cliff, and stood facing her house, for what seemed like hours. What was she doing there? It wasn't like she was going to accomplish anything once she reached the house. She couldn't even kill the Jabberwock. It was useless.  
  
"Cat!" she called. He appeared. "Yes, pet?"  
  
"I'm afraid."  
  
"Whatever for?"  
  
She looked at him incredulously. "What do you think, Cat? I'm about to face this thing... I can't even kill it, there's even less of a guarantee that I'll survive than there was with all the others."  
  
"Faith, you've improved tremendously since you first arrived, and take my word that it is actually saying quite a lot... I have all the confidence in Wonderland for you."  
  
"Yeah, just like Rabbit. And Caterpillar. And everyone else," she groaned.  
  
"Exactly. The only one that doesn't see that is you."  
  
"It's not that I don't see it; you've been really really supportive of me, but I don't feel it now. I haven't heard that much about the Jabberwock at all, practically nothing, in fact, but for some reason even hearing the word makes my blood go cold."  
  
"I'm going to take a leaf out of Rowling's book and tell you that fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."  
  
"Inspiring," she said, chuckling. "It's true, but I'm still a bit nervous."  
  
"Understandably so; I can imagine that whatever you've heard about the Jabberwock was told to you by someone too afraid to be coherent."  
  
She nodded.  
  
They had come closer, and she could just make out her front door. And now she could hear a long, low growl coming from inside, and her knees buckled. "Confront what frightens or offends you," he said, planting his paw firmly on her hand. "Don't let your fears impede the ass-kicking that so many deserve."  
  
She laughed somewhat, and they walked some more. "Where will he be when I get inside?" she asked quietly. Her voice was shaking, but she was still determined to get it done.  
  
"Where do you think, Faith?"  
  
"I think... in the family room," she said, looking at the window to it. It was dark in there, she noticed. Was that a flash of gold? No... just her imagination. "What colour eyes does he have?" she asked.  
  
"Considering for a suitor?" he teased. At her irritated look, he sighed. "Touchy... yellow."  
  
She shuddered, not quite so convinced that it was her imagination any more.  
  
"I leave you now," he said.  
  
"Cat... you're abandoning me?!"  
  
"Of course not, pet. I have summons that I must attend to."  
  
"Putting that smushy layabout over me, god I feel honoured," she grimaced. He sighed.  
  
"He has been in danger as of late. It is my duty to check on him... and I relish the thought of meeting the Jabberwock no more than you."  
  
She nodded quietly and he vanished. Then she turned and faced her front door, reluctant to even lay her hand on the doorknob.  
  
The door swung open of its own accord, saving her the trouble, and she jumped back, feeling both scared out of her wits and a wave of heat washing over her. She shook her head rapidly, trying to clear it, and stepped inside. One step. Two steps. Three. The door swung shut and she turned, expecting to see enemies of some sort waiting for her. But there were none, and she crept down the hall, towards the family room.  
  
She entered, and there was a strange... yet achingly familiar smell hanging in the air. Their last dinner, mingling with burning fur and flesh and paint and smoke. She looked at the walls, seeing the fire going up in the corners, but not spreading any further. "Oh god..." she muttered, feeling her voice catching, and she forced it out again. She turned to face the fireplace, and there was a head, just resting on her shoulder. Almost serpentine, with great yellow eyes. And it was leering evilly at her. She screamed.  
  
"You're late," it whispered, and drew back. "Have you never heard that punctuality is an asset, Faith?" Mutely she nodded.  
  
"So, this is the famous Faith. The saviour that Wonderland has been all abuzz about."  
  
"I'm Faith, yes, but I'm no saviour." She spoke calmly, surprising herself to absolutely no small degree.  
  
"Tell that to your loyal subjects," he purred. "To all those who fervently believe it with all their hearts. Cat, for example."  
  
"He knows that I'm not," she argued, but he laughed.  
  
"Does he? No, when you refused to come here the first time, he was the one who believed that you eventually would. Such a shame to disappoint him with the truth. Lucky for you then, that you and the truth are not frequent company."  
  
She glared at him, but said nothing, not wanting to provoke another vein. Her silence seemed to make it more fun for him, however.  
  
"But I didn't need to talk about your reprehensible morality, did I? No, she's heard it all before, in her vast experience fighting the devils of Wonderland."  
  
"That's why whatever guilt trips you may lay on me won't work," she said fiercely. He laughed again.  
  
"You stupid, misbegotten, selfish child." He drew closer, and she backed away until the couch prevented further movement in that direction. "You betrayed your brother and your family to the smoke and the fire, and you put yourself on a pedestal by saying that you've been killing Wonderland's devils." He shook his head, and narrowed his eyes.  
  
"No, that's wrong," she said, betraying her uncertainty.  
  
"No it isn't. It's the perfect truth, Faith. You don't even deserve your name. Your brother had every faith that you would help him... but no. You tripped over him. You couldn't even take the time to point him down the right tunnel. You had to go into heroics. And even then you failed."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"How can you deny it? I haven't spoken a lie yet."  
  
"NO!!!!"  
  
"It was your fault, Faith," he said quietly. "If you hadn't forgotten to turn off that burner, if you hadn't been such an idiot, your family would be alive today."  
  
Tears streamed down her face. He was right, and they both knew it. How couldn't he be? She had forgotten to turn off that burner that the raccoon had fallen onto. She hadn't pointed Jeremy down the right tunnel, just a vague wave in the general direction of the wall. She was a failure; an idiot that betrayed her family with a single move of horrible carelessness.  
  
The Jabberwock looked down at her and knew he had won. Killing her now would be so easy... he leapt at her, mouth open with flames pouring out, and she looked up at him, eyes dead.  
  
A brown streak knocked her out of the way, taking most of the fire. "CAT!!!!!" she shrieked, and yanked him out of the flames. She stared up at the Jabberwock, suddenly filled with rage. "If you EVER dare TOUCH one of my friends again, I swear that I will kill you with my bare hands!"  
  
And she grabbed the ice wand and nailed him full in the face. He staggered back somewhat, stunned, even more so when she cut a deep gash in his cheek with the knife. He opened his mouth to speak, but she hurled the jacks at him and he dodged, and stared at her, menace in his eyes, and a golden beam shot out of them, narrowly missing her.  
  
She fired back with the ice wand, and he took the opportunity to attempt firing at the prostrate Cheshire Cat. Immeasurable fury filled her and she whipped out the still-powerless scythe, using the sharp, curved blade to knock him off balance. He roared and a Jabberspawn leapt in, roaring. She turned to it, shaking with rage and grabbed the jacks, temporarily ignoring the Jabberwock. He swatted her across the room, but she recovered quickly, running back and standing protectively in front of her friend.  
  
The Jabberwock laughed. "How pathetic you are," he laughed. She glared up at him, almost daring him to continue. "Protecting your cat. He may as well be dead now, anyway."  
  
She shrieked and threw the ice wand at him like a javelin. It stuck in his side and he roared in pain, and he wrenched it out, but it vanished from his mouth and reappeared in her hands. This summoned another Jabberspawn and soon the two of them came at her from both sides. She grabbed Cat and set him on the couch, and fired the ice wand at them as they approached.  
  
One of them leapt at her, but she grabbed the mallet from her back and knocked it away, breaking one of its teeth in half, cutting through the nerve. It yelped and roared at her, and she hit it again. The other one leapt and she sent the knife through its mouth and into its brain, and it slumped. She gingerly pulled her arm out, but couldn't avoid getting any cuts. Its teeth were razor-sharp.  
  
The other attacked and she dropped the mallet and grabbed the jacks, throwing them into its mouth. They bounced wildly around, and it soon joined its companion.  
  
The Jabberwock then attacked, using everything he had in an effort to kill her. He finally pinned her to the ground. "Good-bye, Faith!" he crowed triumphantly, but something crashed through the window and onto him. He roared in surprise, but this time, no Jabberspawn came. Gryphon smiled knowingly at him. "I took care of them for you," he said calmly, and the two wrestled around, clawing and roaring and hissing and biting. The Jabberwock knocked Gryphon over the couch (he only just missed Cat) and went after her. She grabbed the scythe and swung. The Jabberwock shrieked and struggled to stop before the blade could connect with him, but was not quite successful. A single finger fell to the floor and he howled in pain.  
  
Gryphon was back, and leapt at the Jabberwock before he could retaliate against Faith, sending him crashing into the fireplace. The Jabberwock howled in pain and shot out, diving for Gryphon. Faith stood back, pulling out the jacks as the Jabberwock pinned him, and threw them at the oversized lizard's face.  
  
Distracted, he screamed and batted at them. Gryphon took that opportunity to knock him across the room and grabbed him round the neck with his paw. With his beak, he tore out the Jabberwock's left eye.  
  
The Jabberwock shrieked and wrestled his way out from underneath Gryphon, and dashed towards the window. Before he leapt out, he looked around at the three, blood streaming from the empty socket. "We all shall meet again," he warned.  
  
Faith nodded, as did Gryphon. The Jabberwock flew off, and Faith immediately dashed to the prostrate Cat and grabbed a paw. "Cat! Oh god, Cat, wake up!" 


	54. Chapter 54

"Let me take him," Gryphon said quickly, spitting the eye into her hand, and she nodded. He scooped Cat up in his beak and bent. "Mount my back, and I will take you back to Caterpillar's plot," he said. But she shook her head.  
  
"I'll get to the Queen my own way," she said determinedly. "You go on."  
  
Faith wasn't entirely sure where it was, or what he was talking about. But apparently she'd been there before. Gryphon reluctantly nodded. "Remember, though," he said, "It is where all paths meet. I shall come back for you." He took off, and Faith was left alone. She glanced at the eye in her hand.  
  
"Ew," she said, and assembled the pieces of the scythe: the body, the blade and the eye. It was feather light in her hands, though she had the feeling that if anyone else picked it up, they would find it rather heavy. There was a noise; as though the supports of the house were groaning, unable to do their job. She dashed outside, suddenly very nervous that the Jabberwock had seen Gryphon leaving without her and come back.  
  
As she ran out the front door, the ground started shaking beneath her feet, and she looked back, trying to keep her balance, and saw her house collapse. She shuddered, when she realised that if she'd lingered much longer... and then she started thinking of what he'd said. How she'd killed her family... no, it was an accident. An accident...  
  
She began walking, trying to force his words out of her mind, along with her own feeble arguments. Further up the mountain, she saw a village. Perhaps that could lead to where she needed to go, although how anyone could live there, she didn't know. At least the houses weren't burning down, she thought miserably.  
  
She struggled her way up the mountain, until she came to it. It looked like it had been successful once... but now it was nothing more than a desolate waste; a ghost town. Nothing moved. There was no grass, not even dead grass; no people, even slaves.  
  
She crossed a river of lava, and turned around in time to see the bridge burst into flame. That brought out an involuntary shiver, and a quick glance around. She was in the main residential area now, it appeared. The houses showed a lot of fire damage, and she looked into a window of one of them. The room inside was dark; everything inside scorched. The outside of the house wasn't much better. Holes had been burned into the wood in several places, and most of it was charred black.  
  
She saw movement reflected in the window, and she whirled around, seeing nothing, and took out the ice wand. In a furnace like this... perhaps ice was best.  
  
In the distance she heard flapping, and dived underneath the house, through one of the holes. She heard the sound of feet landing, and slowly walking around, and she shrank back. A low growl. Sniffing. She shrank back further. A claw landed, just in front of her hole, and the sniffing grew louder.  
  
The Gryphon looked underneath the house, and saw Faith. "What are you doing?" he asked, confused.  
  
"God, I thought you were the Jabberwock!" she hissed. Gryphon shook his head, and smiled.  
  
"No, though I can see why you'd be nervous. He's gone back to his lair, deep underground, to nurse his wounds. He won't be out for a while." Nodding, she crawled out. He bent down, and she climbed onto his back. He started flying. "Why did you come up here?" he asked, frowning. "It's dangerous... I'm surprised that you didn't get completely ambushed, or send the Jabberwock investigating."  
  
She laughed nervously, unable to say anything.  
  
They soon landed where she'd first seen the trumpeting signs. She sighed and looked around, and saw several card guards guarding a strange little man. All four suits were there.  
  
It was the club, surprisingly, that noticed them first. He ran over, poky spear at the ready, and Faith grabbed her knife, settling it in her hand. When he was close enough, she threw. It connected with his forehead, dead in the centre, and he fell back, curling over himself as he rolled.  
  
The others stared at him, and the diamond and the spade ran, hoping to double-team her. She grabbed the demon die from her arsenal, but the spade fired at her, and the missile exploded, knocking her back. But they had forgotten the Gryphon. He jumped onto the spade and slashed at him with his sharp beak, and knocked off his head with a powerful thrust of his eagle's claws. Faith, meanwhile, landed on a rock jutting out of the lava, and a fire snark jumped up, trying to bite her. She sliced at it, irritated, and a dice flew out of the fresh hole in its stomach.  
  
It landed on the ground just next to her, and she scooped it up. Now she had all three, and she looked over at the remaining diamond guard, which was staring at her, waiting for her to get off the rock. The heart guard, though, ran up to her, poised to fire.  
  
She threw the three dice onto shore, and a new demon came out of the portal that they summoned. It was large, winged, and very mean, and it bashed the diamond's head against a jutting rock before he could blink.  
  
The heart fired at it, and it screeched, wounded, and smirked at the offender evilly. Then it launched itself at it, and BAM!  
  
The heart guard was no more. Then, still fairly fresh, the demon looked around for prey. And saw Faith. Gryphon readied himself to defend her, and she glared at the demon. It was about to attack her when it caught sight of a few Boojum a shorter distance away, and leapt at them instead.  
  
Faith watched it until she saw the demon retreat into its portal, and gave a quick sigh of relief. That had been a bit close for her taste.  
  
In a corner, underneath an old and rusty bridge with an old and rusty gate, sat a queer little man shaped like an egg, and she remembered reading about Humpty Dumpty in Alice's diary. She walked up to him. "Excuse me... are you Humpty Dumpty?" It would have felt odd asking that... less than a day ago, she realised.  
  
He muttered something unintelligible. She leaned closer, bracing her hand against the wall, and was surprised when it sank in. As the brick sank in, another did, and another, until it gave her a tunnel just wide enough to go through. Gryphon looked at it, startled, but rather impressed. Faith turned to him, and he nodded, urging her forward. She walked in, looking around for anything besides the walls of the tunnel.  
  
She eventually reached a small chamber, and was promptly startled by a tiny explosion going off at her feet. She quickly looked down and saw a horde of ants waiting at the ready, and their general, who was attacking. "Oh lord, you again?" she grimaced, and took out the ice wand, pointing it at the ground. The ants shrieked, but their general chattered something at them, and they stood stock-still, aiming their guns at her. She fired.  
  
A few seconds later, she stepped over the chunk of ice and all the way into the chamber. There wasn't much in there besides a small table, but was on the table really caught her attention. It was a huge gun, not a rifle... it looked like something she'd seen somewhere in Wonderland before. In a painting or something, maybe in the Queen's palace while she had been dreaming (it seemed like a VERY long time ago).  
  
Faith walked over to it and picked it up. "Ca-..." she stopped and trailed off, remembering.  
  
She sighed and turned, and screamed when she saw several heart guards entering the tunnel, laughing at her. Obviously, they hadn't seen what she'd just picked up. She turned and aimed carefully. The grin melted off the face of the one in front, and he started pushing his comrades back, trying to get out of the way. She fired.  
  
BOOM!! She flew back several feet, and they were obliterated. There was simply nothing left. She stared at the gun in her hands, not exactly trusting herself to breathe, and carefully strapped it to her back.  
  
Outside, she saw Gryphon finishing off the last of three heart guards that had attacked him, and walked over to him. He looked up.  
  
"Forgive me, Faith... these three attacked me. Then others..." he trailed off when he saw the gun. "You've found the Blunderbuss," he said, awed. She nodded. "That's the most powerful weapon in Wonderland."  
  
"I kind of got that impression," she said, grinning slightly, "when first there were ten heart guards, and then there were none." He laughed.  
  
She looked over at Humpty Dumpty, and was surprised to see him pointing to the old and rusty gate, and walked over to it. Vaguely he nodded, and she pushed at the iron bars, not really trusting them to do much. But they crumbled in her hands, and she was able to make a hole just big enough for her to get through. Gryphon leapt over, and they reached the other side at about the same time. There was a long, winding path through the cliffs, sometimes in the open, sometimes closely quartered, and the two were kept on the ready constantly through the various enemies they met. Faith turned a corner and was instantly thrown back by a Boojum flying at her and screaming, but Gryphon leapt at it and killed it very quickly.  
  
Finally she reached a wide-open plain with a cave, wide open and black. The two looked at it, and stood at the entrance. "Faith," a voice said from inside. Faith jumped back a foot or two, and Gryphon perked up.  
  
"Who's there?" she asked quickly.  
  
"I am Wonderland's Oracle. It has been long since anyone has come, seeking my advice."  
  
"Oh. I didn't know... well, that that was what I'd come for."  
  
"Then you do not wish for my counsels?"  
  
"Oh yes, I do, I do. I'd probably benefit more if I had a bit of advice." Gryphon looked over at her, a little startled. "Er... a different kind of advice." He shrugged.  
  
"I am not offended," he said quietly.  
  
"What would you have me advise you about?"  
  
"Er... I didn't know I got to choose." There was a quiet laugh from inside. "Er, I suppose I'd like to know who Samien is. Who Maggot is. And why I fear Samien more than I do Maggot, even though Maggot seems to be the bigger threat."  
  
"Samien is neither friend nor foe. Should you count him wholly as friend, you place yourself in great danger. Should you count him wholly as foe, you may lose a valuable ally."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Maggot, on the other hand, is entirely foe. His greatest wish is to be at the right hand of the Queen, and to have you dead."  
  
"Somehow, that really doesn't surprise me," she said wryly. At least it shouldn't have. She'd had that feeling of simultaneous trust and mistrust of Samien deep in her gut since she'd met him. And the Pale Royals... or was it Caterpillar? had told her all of that about Maggot already. No, it had been both the Royals and Samien himself... that sounded much more correct.  
  
"You fear Samien more than Maggot, because the two of you have established an element of trust with each other. You know that sooner or later, you shall have to break that trust... or that he will."  
  
She nodded, not entirely convinced. "And... what is the Queen?  
  
"The Queen is what you must face. She cannot be persuaded to surrender. She must die. Either she, or you will."  
  
"But why? There is no reason that she can't be persuaded..."  
  
"There is, but that should be told by another."  
  
"If you insist," Faith sighed. "So this is the blunderbuss... the most powerful weapon in Wonderland, am I correct?"  
  
"Of course the Blunderbuss is the greatest weapon known to Wonderland. The Gryphon has told you already... take his word for it. But you have the Eye Scythe?" Faith could practically hear the capital letters.  
  
"Yes. Why are the two so different?"  
  
"Only the Eye Scythe can be used to open the Queen's Gate... the Wall of Souls. No other weapon will do, regardless of the magnitude of its power. And regardless of how powerful the Blunderbuss is, the Jabberwock cannot be defeated without the Scythe that you have strapped on your back."  
  
Who are you?"  
  
"Who am I?" She could hear the smile in the voice. It was a totally unfamiliar voice, and she walked closer to the mouth of the cave. "I am Wonderland's creator."  
  
"Alice," Faith whispered. Slowly Alice materialised at the mouth of the cave, wearing a blue dress with a white, bloody apron. Her dark red hair hung at about Faith's length, just to the shoulders, and her huge green eyes stared into Faith's.  
  
"You must save Wonderland," she said, in a commanding voice. "You must succeed... where I failed."  
  
"I intend to," Faith replied.  
  
"Good," Alice said. "You have not faced the Jabberwock for the last time. He still lives, and rather sorely misses his eye."  
  
Faith nodded. "I can imagine," she said, thinking back to his howl when Gryphon had torn it out. "Gryphon won't die, will he?" she asked quickly. He looked over at her again, then up at Alice. Apparently that question had been on his mind, too. He'd seemed rather nervous when he'd come in to save her, but that could just have been her imagination.  
  
"Only time will tell," Alice said calmly. Faith nodded reluctantly. "You must go now, back to Caterpillar's Plot. The Queen awaits you."  
  
"I look forward to our meeting," she said. 


	55. Chapter 55

She walked back to Caterpillar's Plot, and peeked out the gate. Dozens of card guards waited there, of every suit. They all had their back turned, and were listening to someone speak. "In some time, she will come through that gate-" here they pointed to her general location, "-and we'll be ready, right?"  
  
"RIGHT!" the guards yelled. Gryphon looked at them. "We cannot take them in hand-to-hand combat on our own," he said pointedly. Faith grinned at him and took out the blunderbuss and took careful aim to where they were gathered thickest. BOOM!  
  
The guards scattered, and she grabbed the eye scythe and charged it. Soon she swept the beam over them, killing many. They all separated, so that there was enough space between them to be a waste of power of the eye scythe (and useless for the blunderbuss). "Use the scythe's other power!" Gryphon hissed, seeing the card guards aiming. She nodded and fiddled with the scythe until she found the secondary fire. Almost of its own accord, it pointed to the sky, and then released a single, large ball of energy.  
  
The guards looked around nervously, and then hell broke loose. Dozens of energy balls plummeted to the ground like a meteor shower, crashing down onto them, and within minutes, there were no card guards to be found. She observed the two weapons and grinned, a little nervous about using them, but still exhilarated.  
  
Gryphon smiled. "I must go now," he said. "To check on the Cheshire Cat and to rally more of the rebels. Break down the Wall of Souls." Faith nodded and gave him a quick hug, and started picking her way through the pieces of card guard that lay strewn about, and looked over at the rock column sitting in the middle of the lava. The only whole guard was there, but he was dead. A fire snark jumped up, trying to get a bite. Finally it used its tongue to pull him down a bit more, and started eating. Faith made a face, and turned around, simply taking in the place. It was so still... so quiet. The river of lava provided the only colour, a bright, deep orange glow. It bubbled occasionally, sending sparks up to the shore. She walked to a huge, craggy wall that divided, separating three realms. There was another trumpeting sign, in addition to the ones that still advertised the now closed Pale Realm and Fungiferous Flora. "MAJESTIC MAZE!!!" It bellowed.  
  
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped, and hurried past it. There was a huge wall in her way, made of grey rock with muted colours shifting around. "What the..?" she muttered, seeing faces in it. She uneasily took out the eye scythe... perhaps this was the Queen's Gate. She hesitated, and charged it.  
  
It fired dead at the wall, which crumbled, releasing dozens upon dozens of what looked like people... grey, transparent... floating people. They seemed rather happy to have escaped the confines of the wall, and flew away. "What... was that?" she muttered, and stepped inside.  
  
"Cat? Are you all right?" Rabbit asked hesitantly. Cat looked up at him.  
  
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," he said sarcastically. "A touch crispy, though."  
  
Rabbit grinned with relief. "Good," he said, smiling. "Faith is entering the Majestic Maze, even as we speak... I still can't believe she's back. And that she's come so far, killing the Hatter and all."  
  
"In such a short time, no less," Cat replied absently. Then, "Ugh..." he muttered. "She's in the maze. All right. Go tell her that I'm fit enough to be called."  
  
"What?" Rabbit stared at him, shocked. "You are not!"  
  
"A bit of pain here and there won't stop me," Cat said stubbornly. Rabbit groaned. "And if you don't go, then I shall go myself."  
  
Rabbit sighed and darted off. Cat stared after him, wondering if he would really do what he'd told him to.  
  
Faith stopped just inside and looked up at the Queen's palace in the distance. Even here, probably several miles away, she could see it. She looked down, at the maze, just ahead and down the slope, and gulped. A burst of flame went up, close to the middle, and she could only just make out a dark shape moving around. There were three towers; one in the centre of the maze, one to the right a ways and up, and a third, very close to the castle. She could just make out its twisted spires and general heart shape. She laughed, knowing that she'd never look at a Valentine the same way again. So many hearts... she shook herself and started down.  
  
"Faith!" She stopped and turned.  
  
"Rabbit!" she said, shocked, then delighted. "You're here!"  
  
"You're back!" he returned. "I have some news."  
  
"What news?" she leaned against the wall, and he looked around.  
  
"Cheshire says he's well enough to be called... but I don't believe him. He really was hurt badly when the Jabberwock burned him."  
  
"So he's told you, then?" she asked glumly.  
  
"Of course he has. I'm his friend," he said calmly. "But go on. I cannot guide you here."  
  
"But why not?" she asked, confused. He sighed.  
  
"I'm afraid that you're friends with something of a coward, Faith," he sighed. "Enemies abound here, and I cannot face them." Faith reluctantly nodded.  
  
"All right then, Rabbit. Go on then." He dashed off, a bit faster than she would have thought normal, and she looked down. The leather cord was there, with the jewel and the herbs... and the jewel was bright red.  
  
She looked around, and eventually came to a fork, and looked down both. One was conspicuously empty, and she looked down the other. A ways away, she saw guards abounding, and she went down that one. Yes, she definitely hated the maze already. The card guards saw her and started running at her, and she grabbed the eye scythe, and charged it. It fired as they got to within ten feet of her, and she held her breath and ran forwards, into another group. She stopped firing and swung the scythe in a circle. It caught the guards around the waists and soon they were lying there in halves.  
  
She turned into another corridor, and finding it clear, continued on until she made a left and found it full of card guards and Jabberspawn. They all looked up at her and charged, and she struggled to unclip the blunderbuss from her back. She fired into them, clearing about forty feet worth, and sighed in relief, deciding that this was probably the best weapon to have out. She turned again, and found another clear corridor, and walked through it, until she found another area full of heart guards. They immediately fired at her, and she dived around a corner, and they zoomed past her, crashing into the wall.  
  
She stepped back out and fired at them, and hurried through. "Cat!" she yelled, forgetting Rabbit's advice. Cat appeared immediately, though, and he looked surprisingly well.  
  
"Cat!" she gasped. He cocked his head.  
  
"Yes, I am," he replied silkily.  
  
"But... but... Rabbit told me you weren't well enough. He said you were hurt awfully when the Jabberwock... when he burned you."  
  
"He did, did he?" he purred. "Yes, he would do that." His eyes abruptly narrowed. "He said the Jabberwock?"  
  
"Yeah," she said uncertainly. "I basically told you what he said, verbatim."  
  
"How did he know..?" Cat murmured, practically to himself.  
  
"What d'you mean?" Her voice was very little more than a squeak. He waved it off. "Cat..."  
  
"Yes, Faith?"  
  
"How can I know that I can trust anyone now? I mean, now you're telling me that I can't even trust Rabbit, and you told me in the beginning that I could, and now I'm so confused!"  
  
"Oh, I expect that I told him, I simply do not remember at present. Now. Why did you call me?"  
  
"Oh." She stopped and stared blankly at him. He didn't speak, and made no move to. "Not yet, Cat. We haven't talked yet."  
  
Exasperation filled his eyes. "Every rebel is gathered outside of Queensland in secret, rallying for your cause. But they cannot make a move until you have been through all three towers."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Each tower is a part of the Queen's defence. They are the keys that unlock the doors that the rebels cannot break through." Faith nearly yelled at him, but cut herself off, creating a very strangled sound in her throat.  
  
"Er, how am I to get into them? I mean, what's the end of the maze?"  
  
He didn't answer for a moment, and stared at the blunderbuss. "I see you've found quite a bit since Gryphon dropped you off," he said admiringly. She nodded. "Exercise great caution with this, Faith. The blunderbuss is incomparably powerful, and can cause immeasurable in the hands of an idiot. You're no dimwit... but still be careful."  
  
She nodded again. "I know, Cat. I'm almost afraid of it, to tell you the truth." He nodded.  
  
"And you should be. That is no trick gun you hold.  
  
"A mad child wanders helter-skelter through this maze, but there is always one place that he will end up. You must end up where he does," he said calmly.  
  
She sighed and nodded. "All right, Cat. And... thank you. You saved my life."  
  
"Don't give in to guilt, Faith," he said firmly. "That is how they win."  
  
He vanished and she looked around for the mad child. Eventually, she found him. He was traipsing around a walkway full of heart guards, and fortunately, they were ignoring him. She sighed and waited for him to get out, and then fired the blunderbuss into them before they noticed her. Then she jumped up and followed him, always keeping him in her sights. She kept the jackbomb out in her right hand, and the jacks in her left, and threw them into the walkways as they passed.  
  
They arrived at a corridor where there were two portals, though a gate covered one. She stared at it, and saw the gate open. That was when she caught a hint of green behind it, and dived underneath just as the gate clanged down. The mad child traipsed happily over to the red portal, and as he moved away, she saw that he'd been standing on a switch. And then he jumped through the other portal, which was a fiery red. She preferred the safe, familiar green, and stepped through.  
  
She stepped out and promptly looked through a window. There were two towers, about where she'd guessed them to be when she'd looked over the whole maze. She must be in the first one, and she stepped back, looking around.  
  
Inside the tower, it was very warm, and even windier. Numerous steam vents, located seemingly everywhere continually turned on and off, off and on. She stared, and searched around the tower for the portal. Oh. There it was, way at the top of the tower. She had to get up there..? She stared at the steam vents, not really trusting them. One of them near her turned on, and she stared at her watch. One... two... three... four... she got up to thirty seconds before it shut off and the next one turned on in that same instant. It stayed on for fifteen seconds. The next was on for twenty, and above it was a bridge. She groaned, and walked to the edge of the first vent.  
  
Eventually it hissed to life, and she stepped into it. The steam carried her, far up, and she started making her way to the side. It suddenly stopped and she threw herself into the next flow of steam, and carefully steadied herself until she reached the next.  
  
Her progress up had been a bit slow though, and she just grabbed the side of the vent, pulling herself up. There was no way in hell that she'd make it up to the bridge now, having lost five... she suddenly remembered the watch, and pulled it out. But... no. She put it away, fairly certain that a better time would come to use it. Besides, if it froze the steam, it probably wouldn't push her up, would it?  
  
Another forty-five seconds passed, and she leapt into the steam's path, and let it carry her up to the bridge. She stayed there for a moment, convinced that steam vent was NOT her travel method of choice. Then she looked up, gauging the time pattern for the next set of vents... this time of four.  
  
She progressed up easily, until she came to the next-last set of vents. She was crossing from the third to the fourth vent, when a Boojum flew at her, screaming. The force knocked her back, and she fell, screaming.  
  
Then she stopped, and realised that she was floating in the steam of one of the lower vents. Nervous, she eased her way to the edge, where she waited for a few seconds. When the steam stopped, she fell to the edge of the vent, where she waited, until the vent started up again, and she allowed herself to be carried up to the next, and the next, and then the bridge. She checked her progress, disgusted at how far she had descended... but very relieved to still be alive.  
  
She made her way back up, until she reached the bridge before the Boojum-haunted steam vents. There it was... hiding up, a ways behind the top vent. She took out the jacks and threw them, and they pummelled the Boojum, which gave an angry shriek and headed towards her, bent on destroying its offender. She stuffed the jacks back, and grabbed the ice wand, waited... and fired. It burst into flame almost immediately, and she continued her ascent. 


End file.
